Tale of Father and Son
by HeroR
Summary: What makes one a parent is not the blood that ones share, but the love you give a child. Those bonds of love and understanding, if given time, will grow stronger and create a new world from the ashes of the old.
1. New Home

**It has been awhile, but my next story for the Symphonia fandom is here. This is not the novelization of Tales of Symphonia I have been promising, but an in-between story. This story takes place a little before the end of Cruxis Chronicles from Dirk's point-of-view. Honestly, I do not think Dirk is given enough credit for taken care of Lloyd before the events of the game and is often overlook in favor of Kratos. I hoped to change that a little with this story.**

** Unlike my other entries, you don't have to read Kharlan or Cruxis Chronicles to follow this story. There will be certain theories and ideas, however, I will assume you will already know from my other stories, but not too much.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia. This property belongs to Namco and Nintendo. I will only lay claim to any OC within the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: New Home<strong>

"_But remember, this is your home. You're still my son, regardless of blood."_

-Dirk, Tales of Symphonia

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><p>He was alone now. Mommy and daddy were no longer with him.<p>

Lloyd sniffed pitifully as he leaned against Noishe. His tears had long since dried, he no longer had any to shred. But, the pain remained. He didn't want to look at the ugly pile of dirt that his mommy now lied in. It wasn't fair. Mommy shouldn't be in heaven. Mommy should be with him and daddy.

Daddy, where was he? Was daddy even still alive? No, daddy was the strongest man in the world, mommy said so herself. No one could beat him, not even the bad man. Daddy will beat the bad man and come find him. He still had daddy.

"Lad, you should go inside." Dirk said gently. "It gets cold out here at nights."

Lloyd shook his head, burying his head into Noishe's fur. "I want to wait for daddy."

Dirk sighed in frustration. The boy has only been awake for a few hours and wouldn't listen to a word he said. He understood that he was a perfect stranger to the boy, but he should obey his elders nonetheless.

"Lloyd, this isn't a request." Dirk stated more firmly. "Go inside before you make yourself sick."

Lloyd responded by hugging Noishe tighter. Noishe gave a soft whimper.

"Listen Lloyd, your mother gave me the task to watch you until your dad comes." Dirk said. "Until he comes for you, I'm your guardian now."

"Guardian?" Lloyd repeated.

"That means I am your caregiver." Dirk tried to simplify.

"My daddy will come soon." Lloyd insisted. "He won't lose to the bad man."

"The bad man?" Dirk slowly repeated. He didn't say 'bad men' like one would expect a child when referring to the Desians. He either made a grammar mistake, which would be expected by a child no more than three, or he was talking about one particular individual.

Lloyd nodded. "Mommy and daddy said bad people were chasing us and I had to be careful. The worst of them was the bad man with narrow eyes and a mean looking face."

That was not enough information to base anything on. Lloyd could honestly be referring to anyone and he didn't know enough about the leadership of the Desians to make an educated guess. The only person he knew with any real power within the Desians was Forcystus, ruler of the Ranch here. Although Forcystus was as dirty as any Desian, it didn't seem like his style to chase a young family across the land.

Then again, the Desians rarely chase down individuals unless they had something of great importance to them. He wondered if that strange exsphere that woman protected had something to do with it. Desians were protective of their exspheres, but not to this point. Then again, there was something unusual about that exsphere.

Although he hasn't had too much experience with them in recent years, he knew by sight this one was different. Exspheres usually glow red, not blue. The aura around it was also much stronger. It kind of remaindered him of the Cruxis Crystal that radiated from Martel Temple.

How he wished he had gotten the chance to study exspheres and Cruxis Crystals more. Even though Cruxis Crystals were originally Dwarven's technology, its creation and study has long been taboo. It was feared that the studies of those crystals would lead dwarves to defect to Cruxis. Ironically, he often learned the opposite to be true.

In any case, the only thing he really knew when dealing with exspheres were how to make key crests. It was required by all dwarves to learn how to make them, along with the extremely rare ruin crest. He supposed it was their way of rebelling against Cruxis.

"Do you know why the bad man was chasing you?" Dirk questioned, wanting to confirm his suspicions.

Lloyd paused in thought. "The bad man wanted mommy's crystal. Daddy said that the crystal was important to mommy and she would get sick if someone took it." He got a strange look on his face, like he was trying to forget something horrifying.

Something told Dirk that Lloyd saw first hand what happened when an exsphere was removed given his expression. To save the boy from further trauma his mind had most likely blocked the event from his memory. He had seen it too many times in adults who has survive Desian's encounters. It was most likely for the best. Some things were best left forgotten.

"Daddy fought against the bad man several times and won." Lloyd continued, once he regained his voice. "He won't lose now and he will come for me."

His father was either very brave or a fool, but the two tended to go hand and hand. Although, it looked like his luck had finally ran out. Dirk didn't want to tell Lloyd that there was a possibility that his daddy had joined Origin as well. How much pain could a mere boy take, especially in one day?

"Well, you're still with me until your dad comes to find yea." Dirk finally said. "So, please go into the cave. I'll fix you up a nice meal and get you cleaned up."

Lloyd stared at him and made no effect to move.

Noishe suddenly got up and began to walk towards the cave instead. Not wanting to be separate from his only friend, Lloyd followed without protest.

Dirk sighed as he rubbed his hand through his hair. It was a bad sign when a child would listen to their pet before him.

For the rest of the day, Dirk continued his work on the tombstone until it was close to sunset. His mind was not so much on his work, however. He would have to go to Iselia soon and get the boy some new clothes, blankets, a bedroll, and a lot of other things he couldn't name at the moment. He didn't know the first thing about raising a child, let alone a human child with trauma issues.

It might be wise to consider leaving Lloyd in Iselia and letting the town raise him if his father never returned. They could provide his needs and give him moral support that he lacked. He would also have other children his age to play with. Given time, he may learn to like his new life.

That idea, however, was at best a dream. Despite the village being an important landmark for the Church of Martel, the people were not as welcoming as one would expect. The villagers were very suspicious of any strangers and tended to give them the cold shoulder. It took the villagers the better part of five years to become somewhat friendly with him and he was lucky since his skills were what broke the ice. Given that it would only take the knife of one person to end the salvation of the world, he could understand why they would be on edge.

If he attempted to unload Lloyd at the village, the people would most likely have him sent to an orphanage somewhere in the city. Although the orphanages meant well, he wouldn't sent any child to live in one. The children were more like numbers than people and it was hard to become adoptive once one reached a certain age.

Given Lloyd's age, however, he shouldn't be in an orphanage too long. Maybe it was his own bias that was keeping him from sending Lloyd away. The Church of Martel ran all orphanages and all families were vetted to ensure that they were all devoted followers of the faith. Lloyd, like all the other children, would be raised to believe that Martel was the only road to salvation and to put all trust within the Chosen.

He didn't know what Lloyd's previous religion was, but he would cut his beard before he allowed Lloyd to follow in that hoax of a religion. It maybe narrowed minded, but he truly didn't care. He would never tell Lloyd the truth, but he wouldn't become one of Martel's sheep who waited for salvation on the blood of an innocent. Especially when it was all a lie.

That, of course, led back to his original problem. He wanted to honor the boy's mother wishes, but he didn't know if he could. Perhaps he could find some advice in the village tomorrow. The trip may also do Lloyd some good. Staying here by this mom's grave was not going to help his recovery.

Dirk decided it was best to end his work for the day. Normally, he worked well into the midnight hours, especially since he was behind on his other projects. But, he had another life to think of besides his own at the moment.

He walked steadily into his cave and turned up the lanterns so he could see better. The caverns were very roomy for someone his size. Where an average human would be cracking their skull on the ceiling and would start to feel cramp, there was still a nice amount of space for Dirk to move.

It was nothing special and it was pretty much a recreation of his original home. There was only one sleeping area and dining room attached to the kitchen. The biggest area in his home was his workshop, which took up nearly half the space in the cave. The ceiling was also higher and would allow a human to sit comfortably.

He found Lloyd huddled up in his bed with that pet of his taking up almost all the space in the living room. If they were all going to stay here, he would have to dig more living space. It would, however, be better to dig an entire new cave since Lloyd would eventually out grow his home if he stayed here. Maybe he should consider building a traditional human house instead.

Dirk then reached into his cooling box and pulled out leftovers from the previous day. He always made sure to stock up in case of a cave-in or a Desian's attack. It didn't take long to warm the food, which was a simple bowl of soup. He was not too sure if Lloyd was ready for more solid foods and didn't want to risk him regurgitating anything.

He walked slowly into his room, which brought Lloyd out of his thoughts.

"Here lad, thought you should eat something." Dirk said gently.

Lloyd shook his head. "Not hungry."

Dirk gave a short sighed. He had allowed the boy to skip lunch earlier, but he couldn't go the entire day without eating a thing. "Lloyd, you have to eat something. You must keep your strength up."

Lloyd looked like he was ready to protest again, when he caught Noishe's eyes. The Protozoan began to give short whines.

After a moment, Lloyd broke his stare with Noishe. "I'll eat a little."

Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth, he handed Lloyd the bowl of soup. Lloyd carefully picked up the spoon and began to slowly sip the soup. He then suddenly recoiled and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"Too hot, lad?" Dirk asked when he saw the violent response.

"It taste like metal." Lloyd said, his tongue still sticking out.

"Really?" Dirk questioned as he took Lloyd's spoon and sipped his own soup. He tasted nothing unusual. It was the way he always made it.

Then again, Dwarves liked more iron in their meals. He wasn't sure what human's taste was like, except humans tended to like sugar and salt.

"It taste fine, you're just not use to it." Dirk assured.

"But, soup isn't suppose to taste like metal." Lloyd defended.

"Well, what does soup usually taste like?" Dirk questioned.

"Like soup." Lloyd answered.

That's what he gets for asking a three years old. Looks like he had to get cooking tips from the villagers as well. He really got himself into some mess.

"Just bear with it for tonight." Dirk said. "I promise I'll cook you a better meal tomorrow."

Lloyd stared at the soup. "My daddy was a good cook, so was mommy. Mommy used to make the best beef stew."

Dirk stroked his beard in wonderment. He had forgotten that humans tended to eat animals. For dwarves, animal and monster's hides were exclusively used for craftwork. They lived on a diet of mineral they grind from rocks and plants they personally grew.

"I'll see what I can do." Dirk answered.

Lloyd slowly ate his soup until nothing was left. Despite the awkward taste, he was still very hungry. The soup did managed to somewhat fill him despite being so light.

"You should go to bed now." Dirk advised as he took the bowl. "We have a big day in the morning."

Lloyd gave him a curious look.

"We will be heading into the village tomorrow to pick up some supplies." Dirk answered the unspoken question.

Lloyd looked down at the empty bowl. "Do...do you think my daddy would be there?"

Dirk paused for a moment. "There's a chance." If he was still alive, that would be the likely place he would be.

Lloyd gave small smile, the first Dirk had seen from the boy. "Daddy is there. We'll find him tomorrow."

Dirk was not too sure what to say to that. He didn't want to get the boy's hopes up, but he didn't want to completely destroy it either. The lad was far too fragile at this moment to be told such a harsh truth.

"Lets us pray to Origin that is the case." Dirk chose to say. "Now, you must rest."

"Where are you going to sleep at?" Lloyd suddenly asked.

Good, question. Lloyd was currently in the only bed in the cave. He didn't think it was right to share a bed and he was not going to let Lloyd sleep on the floor.

"I will be in the dining room sleeping." Dirk said. "I will just be in the next room."

Lloyd nodded. "Okay." He then cuddled under the blankets.

Dirk got up and walked to get the spare blankets out of the closet. He actually didn't mind sleeping on the floor. The bed was something he had put in fairly recently in the event he got sick. He had been sleeping on rock and steel since he was born, so it was natural for him.

He got his place set up for the night and bunkered down for a night's rest. This was the earliest he has gone to bed in a long time, but he found himself asleep as soon as his head hit the ground.

He was sleeping pretty deeply when a scream woke him from his dream. He jumped out of his covers and looked around, his hand instinctually going for his hammer. He stopped short, however, when he saw Noishe attempted to console Lloyd, who was screaming bloody murder.

Lloyd was yelling and kicking furiously in the bed, wrapping himself in the covers. Dirk could see tears running down his eyes as he pleaded to the phantoms in his dream. "PLEASE LEAVE MOMMY ALONE! DON'T HURT MOMMY!"

Noishe began to whimper and cry himself, unable to snap Lloyd out of his night terror.

Dirk ran to Lloyd's side and took him into his strong embrace. "It's okay, lad. I'm here."

Lloyd was beyond his words as he continued to scream. "DON'T HURT MOMMY! PLEASE DON'T HURT MOMMY!"

Dirk could do nothing as he held Lloyd tighter. He had heard of this kind of night terrors. Those who lived through the worst of the Desians often suffered from it. He believed it was called Post Trauma Stress Disorder. It was a horrible mental disordered that had led many good men to their deaths by their own hand. The night terrors and the waking nightmares were the worst of them.

This lab was too young to go through this kind of thing. He was not supposed to experience such evils in this world at such a young age. Damn those Desians and the system that created them.

"MOMMY DON'T PLEASE!" Lloyd's pleads began to changed. "DON'T HURT DADDY ANYMORE. DON'T HURT DADDY!"

Dirk froze when he heard these pleads. His heart slowed in terror as the revelation of what happened to that woman came to him.

"TURN BACK MOMMY, TURN BACK!" Lloyd screamed. "DON'T BE A MONSTER ANYMORE. PLEASE STOP FIGHTING DADDY!"

` "Those ungodly bastards." Dirk muttered with dark anger. A part of what was tempted to march to that Ranch with his hammer and revisit the same terror on them that they had inflicted on this boy.

It explained why the blade that struck her down was not filled with malice or hatred. This boy's father was forced to strike down his own wife to protect his family. It was the worst fate that one could inflict on anyone. To murder a love one while the ones who caused the mess watched in satanic delight.

Noishe licked the boy's tears away as he began to calm down. It, however, had nothing to do with their effects. Instead, Lloyd's body was too exhausted to scream anymore and he was once again lured to the confines of deep sleep.

"Daddy, mommy comeback." Lloyd mourned. "I don't want to be alone. Please, come back." He finally faded into sleep and his body relaxed.

Dirk continued to hold Lloyd as Noishe sat his head on the bed. He wanted to avenge the boy. To take the lives of every single Desian that did this to him. But, he knew it was a foolish endeavor. He didn't know the specific Desians who caused this tragedy and he was not willing to take his rage on any Desian that happened to cross his path.

He also knew that any conflict with the Desians here would put Iselia in danger. Although they were under orders not to harm the Chosen, that wouldn't stop them from killing everyone in the village or taking them to the Ranch, which was a fate worst than death as far as Dirk was concern.

Even if he did manage to find and punished the ones responsible it wouldn't bring this boy's family back. It also would not erase the terror that was now apart of Lloyd until the day he dies. It would also not be justice since they were plenty more Desians who would do just the same to another person. The cycle of hatred would just continued without end.

Dirk gave short sigh as he gently place Lloyd back on the bed, mindful not to wake him. He was not sure what the future holds, but his boy was badly damaged and he was not sure if he was enough to fix him.

Noishe's whines caught Dirk's attention. It was strange, but it was like the creature was telling him that they would pull through this together.

It was silly, but he felt a comfort and hopeful for the first time that day. Maybe together they would be able to pull Lloyd through this.

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><p><strong>Well, that was a hard first chapter. That was a lot of information, but I hope I did not lose anyone. I really wanted to show the culture different between human and dwarves since the dwarves has such little attention in my stories.<strong>

**Until next time.**


	2. Village of Oracles

**Sorry for the fairly late chapter. I got a new beta, zealousfreak27, who will be checking my chapters on here on out. I also got a new word processor and grammar program, so tell me if you noticed any improvements.**

**Now, onward to the chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Village of Oracles<strong>

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><p>Thankfully, the rest of the night passed without incident. The demons in Lloyd's dreams seemed to have decided that the boy had suffered enough for one night. It was fine by Dirk since he wasn't sure if he could take another night terror, and he wasn't even the one having them.<p>

Despite the rude awakening, Dirk was able to wake up fairly early and keep his promise to cook a special breakfast for Lloyd. He found himself for the first time in a couple years cooking eggs, which he knew humans tend to like. He usually bought or found eggs for special mixtures to make for his work, but he had plenty to spare a few. They were just rot anyway if he didn't use them.

It helped that eggs were relatively easy to cook, and even he should be able to make them edible for the young boy. It seemed Noishe liked what he smelled since he was drooling over his floor.

"This is not for you." Dirk said as he glanced at the strange creature.

Noishe began to whine.

Dirk shook his head. "No means no." He then went to check on the toasts. He had to restock on bread once he got to village. He also had to talk to a doctor to see what kind of things a growing human boy needed to eat. It might also be best if he got Lloyd a physical examination. He didn't appear to be physically harmed from his ordeal, but it was better to be safe then sorry.

"Daddy?" The small voice of Lloyd asked as he stepped out of his room.

"No, it's just me, lad." Dirk said.

Lloyd put his head down. "Daddy still hasn't come?"

Dirk forced a small on his face. "Don't be so glum. I'm certain he is looking for yea. Remember, we're going to the village today and he might be there."

Lloyd's mood immediately brightened. "Yeah, daddy is sure to be there."

Dirk got his plate ready. "Before we go, you need to eat."

Lloyd made a funny face. "Not more soup that; taste liked metal."

"No lad, I made you eggs with toast." Dirk said as he set the plate down.

Lloyd walked over and climbed into the chair next to the table. He then began to pick at his food. "No bacon?"

"Sorry, I have to buy some." Dirk said quickly. He actually had no plan to buy meat from such a filthy animal. Boars were good to make weapons from with their strong bones and tusks, but he wouldn't dare to eat one. He personally couldn't understand why humans would put their health in danger just to eat one. They were also time-consuming to clean.

"Oh." Lloyd said as he began to steadily eat his food. He didn't complain like yesterday and ate everything on his plate. He didn't, however, seemed to enjoy his food.

Dirk frowned as he watched the boy. He had never seen a child so muted in their response. It was like a part of his soul was missing or trapped within a sea of emotion. He prayed that some of the boy's spirit would return.

He carefully took the plate once Lloyd was finished and put them in the sink. He could always wash it later. "Well, I guess we better get going. The stores should be open by the time we reach Iselia."

Lloyd's mood picked up again as he practically ran out of the cave. Noishe followed slowly behind him to keep Lloyd out of trouble. Dirk chuckled as he casually grabbed his coat and walked out. He made certain to grab his hammer.

When he got outside, he saw Lloyd riding on the back of his pet. He had a smile on his face. "Come on. We need to get to town so we can find daddy."

"Hold on, I'm coming, Lloyd." Dirk smiled. Soon, the trio was on their way.

Dirk was not sure if the Desians were still active in the area, so he chose to take the long path to Iselia. Until things calmed down, he didn't want to be anywhere near that Ranch. He also was not sure how Lloyd would react if he did see any Desians. Seeing them could cause his PTS to act up and that was the last thing Dirk wanted. Not to mention he might kill any Desian on sight out of retribution.

He then began to notice that Lloyd was staring at him. "What is it, lad?"

"You're just the way daddy described. He said dwarves were short and had funny accents."

"Well, I was born in the kingdom of dwarves, so my accent would be a little different from yours." Dirk said.

"Are all dwarves are short too?" Lloyd asked.

Dirk chuckled. "We maybe short to you, but I am about average size for my kind. We dwarves don't grow that big because we evolved to live underground, which doesn't have that much room."

"My daddy is tall." Lloyd suddenly said. "He stands this tall." He showed his dad's height by stretching his arms really wide.

Dirk smiled. "He is indeed tall."

It was good that Lloyd was opening up to him. The hope of finding his father has done wonders to cheer him up. However, he feared that Lloyd would go back into his shell if they couldn't find him. He prayed to Origin that they wouldn't find the man's body today.

As they moved further in the woods, Noishe suddenly stopped in place and backed away.

"What's wrong, Noishe?" Lloyd asked.

Dirk stopped to look at the pet, before he turned to look ahead again. "I will check things out."

He moved forward and had his weapon ready. He sensed no danger ahead, but he would put that creature's sense over his own. It didn't help that dwarves' hearing tended to be generally weaker than even a human's.

He came out his thoughts when he saw what made that creature stopped. Before him, the ground was littered with monster corpses. They had been slaughtered fairly recently, but they were beginning to decompose. It didn't take him long to see that all the monster's stomachs were gutted opened, and their contents spilled.

Only one group had the gall to do such a thing. The question was, why? By the way this slaughter was carried out, they were looking for something. Something they thought a monster had devoured. He was almost certain it had something to do with that exsphere.

This also showed that the forest was even more dangerous than he originally thought. He briefly wondered if it were even safe for him to return home. Although he didn't think the Desians knew of his presents, since they haven't come to require him, they could easily stumble on his house if their search area were wide enough. He was thankful that he was paranoid enough to take that exsphere with him before he left the house. If the Desians wanted it so badly, he wasn't just going to give it to them on a silver platter.

In either case, it was best not to linger. He doubted the Desians would return to this area, but he didn't live this long by being foolish.

He walked back to Lloyd was looking around in wonder. Noishe was still shaking in place and whining constantly.

"If you are fearful of the monsters, they're all dead." Dirk informed Noishe, although he didn't really think he could understand him. "However, it is best that we go around.

"Noishe stopped shaking and gave a short bark.

This creature was proven itself to be more and more intelligent by the minute. What exactly was this creature?

Soon, they were on the move again and they took an even longer way out of the forest. Lloyd didn't seem to mind since he was in awe of everything he saw. From what Dirk could see, Lloyd was used to traveling. He wondered if his parents were nomads, or they had been running from the Desians longer than he thought. He supposed it really didn't matter now.

Although it took them almost four hours to reach, they were finally outside the forest. The sky was a little grayer, but Dirk didn't sense any rain in the near future.

It took only another twenty minutes from there to reach the entrance to Iselia. Despite it being a rather small, modest town, two soldiers guarded the entrance fiercely. Even with a non-aggression treaty with the Desians, the people of Iselia were still fearful of an attack. It made sense since they knew the Desians were not known for being honorable.

"Stop right there!" The guards ordered.

"Stand down, it's me." Dirk said in annoyance. Honestly, they should know him by now.

"What is that with you?" A guard asked as he pointed his spear at Noishe.

Dirk glanced at Noishe for a second before answering. "It's a dog. What's it looks like."

"A dog!" The first guard exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, a dog." Dirk almost mocked.

It was hard to stay convincing when he didn't believe his own words. However, he could hardly say he didn't know what this creature was since they might feel obligated to kill it. It was against the Dwarven Vows to lie, but the truth would not make things much better.

"Well, whatever it is, we can't allow it in the village." The guard said firmly. "I mean, what if it starts attacking people?"

"Noishe is not like that?" Lloyd said firmly, petting Noishe's side. "Noishe is a good doggy."

Noishe whined in agreement.

"The public safety is too important." The guard said with finality. "It has to stay outside."

Dirk sighed in defeat as he turned to face Lloyd. "Get off, Lloyd. Noishe can't come into the village."

"Why?" Lloyd whined as he hugged Noishe tighter. "He's my friend."

"Sorry lad, but they won't let him ." Dirk glanced disapproving at the guards before he turned back towards Lloyd.

"Dirk, what is that human child doing with you?" The guard asked, noticing Lloyd for the first time.

Really, these guards were a dense bunch. "He's a child I found in the woods. He was separated by his parents."

"I see, so you came to drop him off at the orphanage." The guard concluded. "Well come inside." The stepped aside to let him through.

Dirk rolled his eyes and he lifted Lloyd off Noishe. Lloyd was not pleased, but didn't say anymore on the subject.

Noishe whined sadly as he watched them walk away.

Dirk held Lloyd's hand as they made their way towards the doctor. It was best to make sure Lloyd was in good health before he shopped for supplies. He also hasn't decided yet if he wanted to return to his cave any time soon.

Lloyd was very jumpy. He looked at every person he saw, obviously looking for his love one. Dirk made sure to keep a firm grip. The last thing he needed was Lloyd running off.

"Dirk, I was not expecting you to come today." A man with bright blond hair and blue eyes said. He wore a brown vest with matching along with a yelled shirt.

"Frank, how have you been this fine morning?" Dirk asked.

Frank sighed. "Busy, that storm did a number on many of the houses. We weren't expecting it to be that bad."

"Always expect the worst." Dirk said.

Frank turned his eyes to Lloyd who back away from the strange man. "Who is this young man?"

Since Lloyd didn't seem too keen to speak, Dirk took up for him. "This is Lloyd. I found him lost in the woods."

Although he liked Frank, he didn't trust him enough to tell him the entire truth. If anyone here learned this boy was being hunted by Desians, he would be run out of town faster than Aska could fly. At worst, they may even turn him over to the Ranch.

Frank shook his head. "How terrible, he must have lost his parents in the storm."

"Afraid the mother was killed and we can't find the father." Dirk said. "I was actually wondering if anyone came by today."

"Sorry, no one new has come to town." Frank said. "Tourism is low at this time of year because of all the winter storms."

"I see." Dirk sighed. Although he knew the chances were low, he still hoped that they would find the lad's kin.

"I will keep an eye out though." Frank said. "Until then, do you intend to take the boy to the Church? I think the next set of orphans are not set to leave until another two weeks."

Dirk paused for a moment. "No, I attend to raise the lad myself if the father isn't found."

Frank's eyes widen in shock. "You'll raise him?"

"I made a vow to his dying mother that I would care for the lad." Dirk said. "I wouldn't feel right shipping him off to some orphanage."

Frank stared at the older man for a moment. "Dirk, I like you and all, but how do you plan to raise a human child? It is hard enough for us humans to raise our own children."

"I can learn." Dirk said. "Besides, it's not completely uncommon for a child to be raised by another race."

"Maybe so, but humans and half-elves share a common bloodline." Frank said. "Even elves, despite their origins, have many similarities to humans, which is why we can mate with each other."

Dirk's eyes narrowed. "What does blood have to do with anything? It is the heart that makes a family. You should understand that better than anyone."

Frank recoiled from that statement and Dirk knew he went too far. "I'm sorry, Frank. I didn't mean to say that."

"No, you're right." Frank said. "I was the one being closed minded."

"Frank, I hold no illusions that I can raise this child completely right without help." Dirk said. "I know nothing of human children, but I'm willing to learn."

"If you're serious about this, I can give you some of my child care books." Frank offered.

"Thank Frank, but I've got to get this lad to the doctor first." Dirk said.

Frank nodded. "I understand. Come to my house when you're done." He then walked away.

Dirk continued to make his way through the village and ignoring the strange stares he was getting from some people. Even Lloyd looked uncomfortable at being stared at by all the people. Obviously, this boy wasn't used to being around crowds.

It didn't take too long to reach one of the bigger houses in the village. Dirk was quickly annoyed to see that doctor was more crowded than usual. Given the storm last night, he shouldn't have been too surprise.

A nurse walked up to him with a clip in her hand. "What's the problem, sir?"

"I want this boy to be checked out." Dirk said as he looked at Lloyd. "Found him in the woods and I want to make sure he isn't hurt."

The nurse wrote his information.

"How long will the wait be?" Dirk asked.

"Since he is a child, he will be put near the top of the list." The nurse said. "But, you still have to wait at least two hours since there are more badly injured people to care for first."

"Fair enough." Dirk sighed.

"Have you seen my daddy?" Lloyd suddenly asked.

"Your daddy?" The nurse questioned.

"This boy lost his father during the storm." Dirk explained. "We were hoping he may have come into town."

The nurse shook her head. "Only the regulars have been here since this morning."

"I suspected as much." Dirk said as the nurse went back to her duties.

"But, daddy is supposed to be in town." Lloyd said, near tears.

"It's okay, Lloyd." Dirk said smoothly. "Maybe he just hasn't arrived yet."

Lloyd was beginning to sniffle, but refused to let his tears fall. Instead, they both sat quietly down and waited for their number to be called.

Time seemed to slow as they sat in the waiting room watching people walking in and out. Lloyd watched everyone, hoping that one of them would be his daddy.

Dirk wished Lloyd could describe the man he was looking for. It was odd he didn't seem to have strong memories on what his dad looked like. Maybe it was the faulty memory of a child, or maybe it was part of his mental block. It was just impossible to say.

Two hours marched by so slowly, but eventually their number was called. The doctor's room was not big at all. It was about the size of an average bedroom, but it managed to hold all his supplies.

Dirk felt Lloyd cringe when he saw all the instruments on the nearby table. He tried to calm Lloyd by gently patting his back. He was really getting used to doing stuff of this nature.

"Dirk, I'm not surprise to see you." The doctor said as he entered the room. He had the standard white coat with a button down blue vest underneath. He had well groomed white hair with some streaks of black left in it and wore large glasses.

"William, I'm not here for myself." Dirk said with slight annoyance. "I am here for the boy."

William looked down and stared dispassionately at Lloyd. "He doesn't appear to be injured."

"I need you to give him a standard check out." Dirk said.

"Very well, put him on the table." William ordered as he over to get his latex gloves.

Dirk did what he was told and picked Lloyd. He then set the boy on the table that had a cushion like a bed.

Lloyd stared at the doctor anxiously as he walked up to him.

"Open wide, kid." William ordered as he stuck a wooden stick into Lloyd's throat, causing him to gag. He pulled it out after a few seconds and then began to feel around Lloyd's throat and stomach. He checked Lloyd's reflexes, temperature, and eyesight. The entire check up took about thirty minutes to complete.

"Well, this kid seems healthy." William said as he wrote on his chart. "His reflexes, eyesight, and hand eye coordination are some of the best I've seen."

"So, he's fine." Dirk said. That was one less thing he had to worry about.

"I can't find anything physically wrong with him." William stated. "Except his temperature seems a little high and his eyes are slightly red. Has he been sleeping well?"

Dirk lowered his eyes. "He had a night terror last night, and I think he is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress."

"Kind of serious for a child." William noted as he glanced at Lloyd.

"This boy lost his mother during that storm and his father is missing." Dirk explained.

William bit his pencil. "Well that could cause night terrors. I don't usually like giving drugs to kids, but if he continues to have them, I do have medical that would allow him to sleep through the night."

Dirk nodded. "I will keep that in mind."

"Until then, let me give him a shot." William said as he loaded a syringe. "I don't know whether he has been guarded against diseases, but it is best to side with caution."

Lloyd's eyes widen to the side of saucers when he saw the shot. "No, no, no!"

William sighed. "Please hold him down."

Dirk attempted to comfort Lloyd. "It's okay, lad. It will just be a prick."

"No shot, no shot!" Lloyd's voice screamed with untold terror. His entire body began to shake. In his mind's eyes, he could see the figure of the bad man.

Dirk turned Lloyd away from William, so he wouldn't see the shot coming.

William grabbed Lloyd's arm and gently stuck the needle into his arm. Lloyd screamed as if he were being burned as the medicine entered his veins. William quickly withdrew the needle and cleaned the wound with a rag.

"It's over now." Dirk whispered. "It's over. You're fine now."

William shook his head. "I've seen kids afraid of needles, but not to this extent. There is certainly some deeper trauma connected to it."

Dirk shook his head. What has this child been through?

"Well, he should be fine, give and take the mental trauma." William said as he threw the needle away.

"How much do I owe yea?" Dirk asked.

"Given all the work you have done for my wife in the past, I still owe you money." William half joked. "For now, let's just call it even."

"Fair enough." Dirk said as he picked Lloyd up. He was still sniffling, but was much calmer. "I see you later, William." He then carried Lloyd out the door.

Although Lloyd's physical health came out healthy, he still had a long way to go before Lloyd would be truly okay.

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><p><strong>Yeah, long is having a really long day. The same with Dirk too. I'm glad you all are enjoying my interpretation of him and agree that he's not given nearly enough credit for rising Lloyd. Not to say Kratos is a terrible parent, but he really had no involvement in the person Lloyd become until fairly late in his life.<strong>

**Until next time, take care.**


	3. Challenges

**Sorry for the late chapter. Fanfiction acted badly yesterday and it delayed my beta. Hopefully, this chapter was worth the wait. Thanks for all the reviews and hits as well this week.**

**Now, onward to the chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Challenges<strong>

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><p>It wasn't too hard to find Frank's house. It was by far the biggest house in all of Iselia. While most houses in the village were ranch style, Frank's house was a tall two-story house built with brick instead of wood. Even the mayor's house was this fancy.<p>

Dirk knocked on the door and waited patiently. Lloyd had calmed down, but he was still wiping his eyes and looking at the place where William had given him that shot. Maybe he would grow out of it in time.

The door opened and an old woman was there to greet him. The woman was fairly short by human's standards with a face winkled with age and experience. What made her stand out, however, were her Church robes, which were decorated in the style of a high priest.

"Dirk, Frank said you would be stopping by today." The woman said in a warm tone.

Dirk nodded. "Phaidra, it has been awhile."

Phaidra stepped aside so he could enter the house more easily. "Please, come in. No need to stand outside in this cool weather."

Dirk took her offer and walked inside the house. The main doorway merged into the dining room, which was very spacious and warm. He could feel the heat from the fireplace that came through another doorway that led to the family room.

Phaidra offered Dirk a seat, which he graciously took. He put Lloyd in his own chair, who was too busy looking around to fuss.

"So, this is the young man Frank was talking about." Phaidra said once she sat down across from the child. "Lloyd right? Doesn't he have a surname?"

"Irving." Dirk said. "The mother told me before she passed."

"Lloyd Irving, not a very common name." Phaidra noted. "I will tell the Church to keep an eye out for anyone with that last name. It may also be best to make posters of the boy."

"No!" Dirk yelled quickly. "That would be a bad idea."

Phaidra tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

Dirk glanced at Lloyd before he turned back towards Phaidra. "You must promise to tell no one what I'm about to say, not even Frank."

Phaidra narrowed her eyes for a second before her neutral expression returned. "You have my word as a high priestess of the Church of Martel."

Dirk sighed. "We can't make posters because the Desians were after this boy's family."

Phaidra stiffen in her chair. "By the Goddess, that is terrible. Were they escapees from the Ranch?"

"Not sure." Dirk said. He didn't want to tell her about his suspicions. She wouldn't fully understand anyway since humans were generally ignorance on how exspheres were created. Heck, the majority of humans didn't even know what exspheres even were.

Phaidra frowned deeply in thought. "I can see why you would hesitate with this information. The people, especially the mayor, would have a fit if they learn the boy's origins."

Dirk had to suppress a growl at the mention of the mayor. The mayor was a cowardly man who would whether watched the suffering of others instead of risking his own skin. Regardless of his moral issues, however, he was extremely popular in the village and he was all but assured to be mayor until the day he died since he was one of the original people who made that treaty with the Desians.

"Which is why I didn't want to tell anyone, not even Frank." Dirk said.

"Dirk, you should know Frank would never tell your secret." Phaidra said with slight disappointment.

"Frank could get into trouble if something happened to this village and he knew. It doesn't help that most of the villagers don't even see him as the father of his own child and is therefore unimportant." Dirk stated. "Since you're one of the high priestesses of the Church, no one wouldn't dare challenged you."

"That is true." Phaidra sighed.

The door opened at that moment and a bundle of white and gold ran through the door. "Grandmother!" The bundle yelled before she tripped on the rug and fell flat on her face. The thud shook the entire room and rattled the dinner dishes.

Phaidra immediately got out of her chair and picked up her granddaughter. "Colette, how many times have I told you not to run in the house?"

Colette blushed. "Sorry, grandmom."

Frank ran through the door, completely exhausted and sweat running down his face. "That...that girl is fast. I can never catch her."

Dirk smiled as he walked up to the little girl. She was fairly small for her age with a round face that made her crystal blue eyes look even bigger. Her hair was a long gold and like her grandmother she wore a church's outfit.

"The lass have grown since the last time I've seen her." Dirk said.

"That's right, you haven't seen Colette since the day she was born." Phaidra said as she dusted Colette.

He honestly did want to see her knowing what fate held for her. Dirk had to admire both Frank and Phaidra's bravery in rising and loving Colette knowing her time was so short in this world.

"Hi, Mr. Dirk." Colette chirped.

Dirk chuckled. "Just Dirk, no need to be so former, Chosen."

Colette began to play with her dress. "Just call me Colette."

"Fair enough." Dirk smiled.

Colette started to look passed Dirk and stared at the table. Dirk followed her line of sight and saw that she was looking at Lloyd, who was trying his best not to make eye contact with her.

"Hi!" Colette exclaimed happily.

Lloyd still refused to meet her eye.

"Don't be shy Lloyd. Say hello." Dirk encouraged.

Lloyd lifted his head up and looked briefly at Colette. "Hello." He said in a meek voice before he turned his head away again.

Colette frowned. "Why are you so sad?"

"Colette, why don't you take Lloyd upstairs and play." Frank advised.

Colette brightened up at the idea and ran towards Lloyd. He yelped in surprise when Colette managed to pull him out of the chair. "Come on, I have plenty of toys!"

Without even waiting for an answer, she pulled Lloyd all the way upstairs to her bedroom. The poor boy was helpless to stop her.

Once they were gone, Frank turned to face Dirk. "So, the doctor said Lloyd was okay?"

Dirk nodded. "He's as fine as gold."

"Well, that some good news." Frank said. "I better go get those child care books I promise you. I'll be right back." He walked up the flight of stairs.

"Dirk, are you certain you want to do this?" Phaidra asked. "Caring for a child is a huge responsibility. Especially with him being a human."

"I am aware of that." Dirk said neutrally.

"Dirk, Frank and me can take care of the boy when and if his father is found." Phaidra said. "If the orphanage is what's holding you back, we won't send him unless it's necessary."

"Phaidra, I would prefer to try to raise the child myself first." Dirk said. "Besides, the villagers wouldn't like a scruffy boy like him being so close to the Chosen. They barely let their own kids near her."

Phaidra shook her head. "As long as he poses no threat towards Colette, I can see no harm in having him. Besides, my will outweighs public opinion."

Dirk frowned, not at all convinced.

"Well, where will the boy stay with you?" Phaidra asked instead. "You can't actually think he can live in that small cave with you. He'll out grow it before he reaches the age of ten."

"I'm aware of that too." Dirk said. "Which is why I'm planning to build a house for the lad."

Phaidra looked at him in surprise. "Dirk, your craftsmanship is beyond comparison, but have you actually built a house before?"

"No, but I can learn." Dirk said in a dismissive tone. "Phaidra, is it that odd for yea to think I can raise a child?"

Phaidra shook her head. "Don't take it personally, Dirk. I would have the same concern regardless of who they were. Child rising is serious and any move can affect a child for years. Lloyd will also be an extra challenge since he has been through so much already."

Dirk's face softened. "I see, but I still want to try. I want to honor his mother's last wishes and I feel Origin had chosen me to look after this child."

"If you feel you're being moved by an upper power, then it's not my right to questioned it." Phaidra said. "However, why don't you two stay here for a while until you've build your house at least? It would give you the chance to have an extra set of hands while you adjust to being a parent."

Dirk thought carefully about the offer. It was true that Lloyd needed a more stable home than a cave to stay in while he built the new house. There was also the problem with of the Desians. Who knows if they were still searching the forest? It would be safer to stay within Iselia for now.

Although, he really didn't want to stay with Frank and Phaidra. They were nice people and Colette was a dear, but he didn't want to be gawked at by the other villagers, despite Phaidra's assurances. And there was, of course, his general problem with the Church. Phaidra was a high priestess and would undoubtedly try to lure Lloyd into her faith. That wasn't a bad thing, just misguided.

"Phaidra, maybe we can stay in the old Jefferson's house instead." Dirk offered. "It is within the village and close by. Plus, we won't be imposing on you."

Phaidra tapped her cheek. "That could work. But, you'll have to ask the mayor for permission since that is his domain."

Great, he had hoped to avoid that windbag. "I'll talk to him now then. He shouldn't be too busy." On the account that he doesn't really do anything except live off the power of his position.

Frank suddenly came stepping down the stairs with an arm full of books. "Sorry for taking so long, but I wanted to make sure I gotten the right books."

Dirk's eyes widen in shock. "You have that many?"

"My wife and I wanted to make sure we were extra prepared when Colette was conceived. She is so special that we wanted to make sure we did everything right."

Phaidra rolled her eyes. "My son was just being paranoid."

Frank gave his mom the evil eye. "While, Dirk can use these books now, so it wasn't a complete waste."

"Sit them on the table." Dirk said. "I'm off to see the mayor about renting a house for a couple weeks. Do you mind keeping an eye on Lloyd for a bit?"

Frank shook his head. "Not at all."

"I should be back soon then." Dirk said as he walked out of the house.

The air was a little warmer outside since it was now early afternoon and more people were out. Some people gave him swift hello while most chose to ignore him. He didn't mind too much since he was not really a people person and didn't like being in crowded places. That was another one of the reasons why he left the Dwarves Kingdom, it was too crowded.

He stopped once he reached the mayor's house, which was on the other side of the village. It was a little taller than most of the other houses, but nothing really note worthy. He didn't bother to knock on the door as he walked in.

The mayor was doing paper work at his desk as Dirk came through the door. The mayor was a bulky man with dark purple hair with some gray combing through it. He had dark brown eyes and a thick mustache. He wore a common green sweater with blue jeans, which made him looked like 'one of the people'.

"Dirk, what are you doing here?" The mayor asked in mild annoyance.

"I'm here to ask if I could rent the old Jefferson's house for a couple weeks." Dirk requested.

"So, you've decided to come live here in the village?" The mayor asked in an amused tone.

"No, I just want to do some remodeling to my home, and I can't stay there while I'm doing work." Dirk said, ignoring the sly remark.

"Makes sense." The mayor said as he leaned back in his chair. "That place has been abandoned for awhile, so I don't know what condition it's in. There's also the matter of payment. Even to rent a house in this village will cost you, given its importance."

"_The leech never stops to try to make a profit._" Dirk thought in annoyance. "How about this? As payment, I'll fix the house up nicely and make it better than new."

The mayor's eyes lit up at the thought. If the house was repaired to its original condition, he could sell it for twice the price. "Fine, you have yourself a deal. However, I expect the house to look a certain way. Otherwise, you pay full price."

Dirk had to keep himself from snorting. "You know my work. You should know I don't half-ass anything."

"Just making my conditions clear." The mayor said as he got up. He dug through one of his drawers and pulled out a key. "Here." He casually tossed it toward Dirk who easily caught it.

"Nice doing business with yea." Dirk said as he left.

It seemed that ever since he left his home he had been breaking the Dwarven Vow number eleven more and more. It was nearly impossible to live in the human world without telling at least one white lie in a day. Especially with people like the mayor when telling the truth means saying a couple choice words in dwarven.

He had quickly learned that humans were not comfortable with him speaking his native tongue. It took him several years not to slip and say a word or a dictum in dwarven. Although the common tongue was taught to all dwarves, it was still a hard thing to make it his primary language. He actually envied humans who only had to master one language throughout their entire lives. Even when they did learn a new language it was often a dead one.

When he reached Frank's house again, he wasn't too surprise to see Frank waiting for him at the door.

"So, how did it go?" Frank asked.

"I have to fix another house up, but it went well." Dirk said.

Frank nodded. "Well, mom wants me to help you find some new clothes for Lloyd. The ones he has now are a little torn."

"Yeah, I wouldn't know what to look for." Dirk smiled.

The two men walked to a local store and browsed for any clothes that were Lloyd's size. Since it was winter, they gotten him several long sleeve shirts and thick pants. They also got him a winter hat and gloves just in case it really got cold outside, even though it rarely did in this area.

Frank also pointed out several cleaning produces that Dirk could use while bathing Lloyd. The soap he tended to use was too harsh for Lloyd's skin. He also found human's clothes to be very fragile and thin compare to the clothes he made himself. Then again, humans didn't tend to do the kind of harsh work he did.

"I think perhaps Lloyd may like red given the color of the shirt he's wearing, but it's impossible to say." Frank cut through his thoughts. "Has Lloyd told you anything about himself."

"Afraid not. He is such a meek lad that it's very rare that he talks." Dirk said as he looked over some clothes. "He was, however, in better spirits this morning when he thought he would find his father."

Frank looked down sadly. "I wonder why his parents were even in the woods. Normally people don't pass through there, especially with a Ranch so close."

"They could had been travelers and didn't know about the Ranch." Dirk said.

"But, this village is closer than the forest." Frank said as he bit his lips. "I don't know, but something just isn't adding up. If they were well-seasoned travelers, they should have been able to spot that storm from a mile away and took shelter. Anyone who travels knows that a forest is the worst place to be during a rainstorm because of all the low lands."

Dirk shrugged. "Who knows. Unless we do find his father, we'll never know."

"So true." Frank sighed.

Once they were done shopping, they made their way back to the house.

"Dirk, I've been meaning to ask you, what have you been feeding Lloyd?" Frank asked. "I remember reading years ago that dwarves actually ate rocks."

"We don't eat rocks." Dirk corrected. "We grind up the rocks and filter out all the minerals from them. We eat that along with a diet of food that is high with iron like beans, lentils, artichokes, egg yolks, and fish."

Frank kind of turned green when Dirk talked about grinding rocks. "You didn't feed that kind of stuff to Lloyd, did you? No offense, but humans don't eat anything from rocks like that."

"Well, I gave him some soup, but he complained about it tasting like metal." Dirk said. "Guess it had too much mineral for him."

"Do you know what humans usually eat?" Frank asked.

Dirk shook his head. "Not sure really. I know you like meat, salt, and sugar."

"Certain meats are better than most." Frank said. "For example, red meat like what you would get from cows and sheep are a good sources of iron too, but it should be eating sparingly because it can cause you to gain weight. Growing kids also need a lot of calcium in their diet. You can get that from dairy produces like milk and cheese."

"What about the sugar?" Dirk questioned.

"Sugar is not all that good for you." Frank said as he began to blush. "But, humans like anything that is sweet which is why we eat it. We tend to give sweets out as treats, but it is not something we should eat everyday."

Dirk shook his head. "Humans really are different."

"Which is why you need to read those child care books." Frank said. "They will tell you everything you should feed your child, what time is a proper bedtime, and many other things. Since you will be staying in the village for awhile, mother and me can help you with any problems you may have."

"I know Frank and I really appreciate your help." Dirk smiled.

Instead of going back to Frank's house, they decided to go to the Jefferson's house and get the place ready for Lloyd to move into. The place was indeed run down with water damage from the storm. They were also no furniture and the smell of mold was in the air.

"This place is not too pleasant." Frank said in a casually voice.

"The water is fairly recent and I can dry the place out by tonight." Dirk assured. "The mold also won't be a big problem since it looks to be all on the surface."

"Are you sure you will have it ready today?" Frank asked worriedly. "This looks to be at least a month worth of work."

"It's not a problem." Dirk said. "I have this place ready by the evening."

"Well, I guess I'll go buy the bedrolls and blankets." Frank said. "Don't want to leave you two sleeping on the floor."

"Just one bedroll." Dirk said. "I prefer to sleep on the ground."

Frank raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as he left.

Dirk stretched his arms as he looked around. It was time to go to work.

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><p><strong>Things are starting to look up and I hope you like young Colette. She was kind of fun to write.<strong>

**accident prone, thank you for your praise and your review. I hope you continue to read and share your thoughts. I tried to keep Lloyd's trauma as realistic as possible without it becoming overbearing. Lloyd eventually has to turn into our cheery, idiot hero, after all. I also try to put a lot of thought into Dirk. After awhile, he all but writes himself, especially his ignorance on humans.**

**Kiomori, I have seen a story based on this time period to some extent and that is Kasan Soulblade's Tales of an Iselian Tiger. As I said many time in my stories, Kasan is a major point of inspiration to me and I would suggest anyone to check out her stories.**

**With that said, until next time.**


	4. Home Improvement

**Sorry again for the semi late chapter. I gave the file late to my beta, zealousfreak27. Which, we all owe thanks to since she clears up my stupid grammar mistakes and make this story more readable.**

**Before you read, I just want to say that I am surprise by the feedback of the story. When first posted this story, I excepted it to have a low feedback. Honestly, I thought I would be lucky to get ten reviews, because Dirk tends not to be too popular on this site. I want to thank you all for proven me wrong on this and I hope you continue to read.**

**Now, onward to the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Home Improvement<strong>

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><p>Dirk spent the rest of the day getting the house ready for Lloyd and him to live in. It was a fairly easy task to dry the house out and put temporary patches on the roof. The patches didn't have to be too strong since they was little chance of rain for at least another couple of days. Getting rid of the mold proved to be the most tiring since he had to make a batch of his special disinfectedand scrub it all over the house. Including places he didn't want to see.<p>

Although, it did provide him the chance to see exactly what condition the house was in. The house has not been lived in for almost two years, which was nearly a lifetime by a human's house standards. Human dwelling had to be maintained constantly or they would fall apart on you. Luckily, the bones of the house were fine and it was mostly the cosmetics that needed fixing and updating.

He decided it was best to first build the new house in the forest and get Lloyd settled there before he took up repairing this house full time. The mayor shouldn't care either way as long as the house was fixed and Lloyd came first in these matters.

Every couple of hours, Frank would stop by and give him furniture to help livening the place up. Despite the home being temporary, he wanted to make it as homey as possible. Frank was even nice enough to say that he could take all this stuff to his new home when he was finished.

Frank really was a good man. He owned him a couple of hard ones after he was done, although he knew Phaidra wouldn't approve. He never understood the Church's dismissal of alcohol and why humans in general were so stern about what age kids drunk. As long as they didn't guzzle a keg, kids were usually fine after a shot or two. Maybe that was just another way humans were different.

It was nearly sunset before he finished most of immediate the work. It was far from perfect, but it would have to do for now. He made his way to Frank's house and knocked on the door.

Frank answered and gave his friend a smile. "Dirk, you're just in time for dinner." He welcomed him in and Dirk saw Colette sitting next to Lloyd at the table with Phaidra sitting right across from them.

"Dirk, how is the house coming?" Phaidra asked kindly.

"Pretty good, but I won't be able to fix it proper until I build the new house." Dirk said. "I think it's important to get Lloyd settled in at a permanent home as soon as possible."

"I couldn't agree more." Phaidra said as Frank took his seat next to her. Dirk decided to sit on the side Lloyd and Colette were on.

"So, did you kids have fun today?" Dirk asked.

Colette, as always, was all smiles. "Yeah, we played with my toys and we played house."

Lloyd said nothing as he pulled his folk through his plate. If he was liked that all day, he couldn't see how Colette had so much fun with him.

Frank began to pass the mash potatoes and put a nice amount in the kids' plates. He then gave the string beans and a piece of pork chop.

Dirk eyed all the food in curiosity.

"You have seen mash potatoes and string beans before have you, Dirk?" Phaidra asked.

Dirk nodded. "I have had potatoes before, but never mash. I usually just baked them. But, I was more curious about what type of meat is that."

"Oh, it's pork chop." Frank answered.

Dirk recoiled in disgust. "You mean meat from a boar?"

"The local pigs to be correct." Frank said.

"I pass on the meat." Dirk said as he put some mash potatoes in his plate.

"Are you forbidden to eat pork for religious reasons?" Phaidra asked.

Dirk shook his head. "I just don't like eating meat. Especially from a creature like a pig or a boar. They're disgusting, filthy creatures."

"I completely understand." Frank said. "Unless my mother makes it, I don't trust another person to cook pork. It has to be well cleaned or it can make you very sick. Other meats can be disinfected by just cooking them well."

Lloyd ate a good amount of his food within a short time and began to greedily eat the meat.

"Take your time or you can choke." Frank warned.

"So, this is a normal human meal." Dirk noted.

"More or less." Phaidra said. "If you like, I can give you some of my own recipes for you to use."

"I would like that." Dirk smiled. "Although, I may not be able to cook much until the house is ready. I was wondering if Lloyd and me could come to have dinner with yea until it's ready."

"Of course, you didn't even need to ask." Phaidra said.

"I can also check on Lloyd for you at the house." Frank said. "It's unwise, after all, to have a three years old staying by themselves."

"Grandma, can I have an apple salad?" Colette suddenly asked.

"Colette, you can't have an apple salad every day." Phaidra scowled.

Colette paused in thought. "What about a fruit salad?"

Phaidra sighed.

Frank laughed heartily. "Colette loves her fruits. If she had her way, that would be all she eats."

After dinner, it was time for Dirk and Lloyd to leave. Since Dirk had his hands full carrying the loads of books Frank had given him, Frank helped them walk back to the house by holding Lloyd's hand. They didn't trust the three year old not to wonder off, even though he had shown no motivation to do so.

Once they reached the old house, Dirk bid Frank a good night as they walked inside.

"This will be our new house for a while." Dirk informed Lloyd as he sat his books on a nearby table.

"We won't stay in the cave again?" Lloyd asked.

"No, you won't stay in the cave." Dirk said. "A growing boy like you needs a 'proper' home."

He helped Lloyd removed his clothes and slip him into his new nightclothes. Lloyd then laid on the makeshift bed that Dirk had placed in the dining room. The bedrooms needed more work before he felt comfortable enough to let Lloyd sleep in them. He also felt Lloyd was not ready to sleep by himself.

Lloyd lay silently in his bed for a second. "Why wasn't daddy here?"

Dirk knew this question was coming. "He just hasn't reached town yet. Give it a little more time."

Lloyd cuddled under the covers. "Daddy will find me. Daddy always finds me. He found me when the bad man had me and mommy. So, he'll be here."

Dirk nodded and smiled. "That's the spirit, lad. Now get some shuteye. You had a long day."

Lloyd rolled over and soon he was asleep.

Dirk spent most of the night drawing up the blueprints for the new house. He wanted something simple, but would grow along with Lloyd. He considered whether he should add a second floor. The land he had in the forest was not ideal for a ranch style, but it would take more time to build up a two-story house, which was not too ideal for the winter rain month. Not to mention, more expensive.

It was a good thing he had so much credit with the people in Iselia and a lot of money saved up because of his rather simple lifestyle. He would, however, would still have to do a lot of extra work and projects to make up for the difference.

Nonetheless, the two-story seemed the most ideal and he had to put Lloyd first regardless of the price. Like he told Frank, he wasn't going to half-ass this responsibility. It was after all a Dwarven Vow, anything worth doing, was worth doing right.

A screamed broke his concentration. He looked up to see Lloyd having another night terror. He dropped everything that he was doing and ran towards the boy's side. He whispered smoothing things until his ear, but just like last night it fell on deaf ears. This time, however, he didn't have Noishe to help comfort the boy.

"MOMMY, DADDY, PLEASE COME BACK!" Lloyd screamed.

Dirk rocked him back and forward and tried to ease the boy screams. Unlike in the forest, people might hear Lloyd. It took nearly an hour before the night terror finally eased away and Lloyd settled back down into sleep.

Dirk held him a moment longer before he put Lloyd back in bed. Damn, would this get any easier? It this did keep up, he may have to take Dr. William's suggestion.

He patted Lloyd's hair before he went back to work on his blueprint. Every now and then he would glance at Lloyd and his heart would bleed.

* * *

><p>The next couple of days were busy for both Dirk and Lloyd. Dirk spent the better part of two days just buying the supplies he would need for the house. Thanks to his advanced skills, he was able to calculate how much material he would need. It was so much, however, that he had to rent a wagon to toll it all to his house.<p>

To make his life even harder, he couldn't use a horse to pull the wagon. As part of the treaty with the Desians, Iselia wasn't allowed to have any so called 'war animals'. That included horses, mules, donkeys, and ox. Essentially, he couldn't get any animal to help pull the wagon and he had to do it himself. Which meant shorter loads and many more trips.

Noishe attempted to help whenever he saw Dirk leave the village, but the dog was not nearly strong enough to pull the heavy wagon, despite his size. What should have taken only a day or two to do, took over a week.

It didn't help that they were still taking the long way to avoid the Ranch. Not to mention all the monster corpses that still covered the forest floor. Their scent would attract more powerful and dangerous beasts and Dirk didn't want to deal with that.

Once he finally gotten everything to the location, he began to build the frame. Although, he made sure on the first day to complete the headstone for Anna's grave before he began construction.

Every day from morning until late evening, he would work on the house and then leave for the village. He would then have dinner with Frank and Phaidra where he learned what foods he should and shouldn't feed Lloyd. It was then back to the house where he attempted to bond with Lloyd before sending him to bed.

Lloyd was a little more opened, but still kept mostly to himself. From what Frank had told him, Lloyd would often sneak out of the house and search the village for his dad. Even when Frank took him to his house to play with Colette, the boy would still manage to sneak out. Dirk was beginning to worry that if this kept up, Lloyd would eventually be taken to the orphanage. He was almost taken away by public complaint, but Phaidra's influence kept them from going too far. Nonetheless, it was best that he hurried on the house construction.

Even worst, however, was that Lloyd's night terrors were getting worse. They were lasting longer and were becoming so traumatic that Lloyd was beginning to wet the bed. Lloyd, however, never woke up during these episodes, so Dirk was able to clean Lloyd and the bed sheets without waking him.

He was eventually forced to give Lloyd something for his night terrors. Thankfully, William was able to give Lloyd a natural herbal tea to help him sleep through the night. He still having night terrors, but it wasn't every night or nearly as severe.

William also suggested that it was maybe best for Lloyd to talk to a trauma counselor so he could begin to heal from the root of the problem. Dirk knew he was right, but the only 'trauma counselor' that existed was a priest from the Church of Martel. They pretty much sat a child down and told them that Martel and the Chosen would fix everything and one should put all their faith in them. It was hardly helpful advice in his opinion.

At the same time, however, it might be better than nothing. Simply giving Lloyd sleeping medicine would not make his problems go away. He had to learn to cope and deal with his demons on his own. Otherwise, who knew what he could grow up to become. He would be heartbroken if sadness and hatred consumed the boy.

Phaidra was nice enough to act as Lloyd's counselor, given that she knew he didn't care for the Church all that much. At the very least, Dirk knew that Phaidra would not force her ideals down Lloyd's throat.

Lloyd was in counseling for almost two weeks before he said anything about what he had happened to him.

"Dirk, do you believe in Martel?" Lloyd suddenly asked one day when they returned home.

Dirk was little surprise by the question. "What brought this on?"

Lloyd looked down to the floor. "Phaidra told me that Martel took mommy to heaven so she wouldn't suffer anymore."

Dirk shifted uncomfortably. "Well, what did your mom and dad say about Martel?"

"Daddy didn't talk about Martel." Lloyd said. "He talked about stars."

"Stars?" Dirk questioned.

"Like the constellation of Aska, Luna, Efreet, Sylph." Lloyd paused as he mentioned those summon spirits name. "I was born under the star of Efreet, just like daddy."

Dirk rubbed his beard. "So, you dad believed in the spirit symbols."

It was kind of odd since mostly half-elves and elves believed in the constellations in that way. Humans who did know about them tended to treat them as a fun novelty that wasn't taken seriously. Since the majority of Dwarves lived under the earth, most have never even a star before. So, it was an area of study he didn't know too well except from what he read in old books.

"What about you mom?" Dirk asked, getting back to the original subject.

"Mommy believed in heaven, but not Martel." Lloyd said.

It made sense since the Church of Martel was not the only religion that teach about heaven and hell.

"So, you weren't raised in the Church's faith?" Dirk questioned further.

Lloyd thought about it for a second. "I don't know. They just never mentioned Martel."

Dirk frowned. Even atheists mentioned Martel to some extent or another. It was, after all, the major religion of the entire world. Not to mention the entire journey around the Chosen. Then again, Lloyd could have just been too young to remember. Although, Lloyd has shown to have a sharp memory when he chose to use it.

"Dirk?" Lloyd asked the older man.

Dirk knew he couldn't avoid it any longer. "I can't say I believe in Martel."

Lloyd looked down. "So mommy isn't in heaven?"

"I didn't say that." Dirk said quickly. "You can believe in heaven without believing in Martel."

Lloyd shook his head. "That's not what Phaidra said."

"Phaidra has own set of beliefs." Dirk said. "But, not everyone believes in the same thing."

Lloyd looked confused. "But, there's only one truth?"

"You'll find in life that nothing is simply one truth." Dirk said.

He wasn't sure how deep he could get with a three year old, but he didn't know how to talk down to his level. Oddly enough, Lloyd didn't seem have too much problem following along.

"If Martel's real, why did she take mommy to heaven and didn't take me with her?" Lloyd asked softly. "I miss mommy."

"And you will always miss her." Dirk said slowly. "The Church wants to justify why people die. Especially when it is a senseless, ruthless death. It will be up to you to decide what you'll eventually believe. But, never doubt that your mother loved you and would have never left you if it was within her power to stay."

Lloyd wiped his eyes, which were moist with tears again. "It's not fair."

Dirk sighed. "Another harsh lesson you learned too young."

Without another word, Lloyd walked to his bed and lay down. With their conversation over, he went to the kitchen to get Lloyd's tea ready.

The weeks flew by and Lloyd continued to get counseling. He did seem to get gradually better, but he still was very meek. Even Colette's bright and sunny attitude couldn't completely snap him out of his depression.

The construction of the house was coming along much better and Dirk had all but completed the first floor. What made him work so fast was that he was not hindered by the human coffee break. When a dwarf does a project, they don't stop unless they become injured or sick. If it weren't for the fact that he had to return every evening to take care of Lloyd, he would work well into the night and only stop to sleep.

He decided then it was time to move Lloyd to the new house. It was livable as it was now and he could complete the second floor as he goes. Once the second floor was done, he could bring the stuff from the Jefferson's house and make it part of Lloyd's room. He could move the things from his cave into the new house and make his old home into a full time workshop. It would also give Lloyd and him time to really get to know each other and he could start to rear Lloyd himself.

Phaidra was not too pleased when Dirk told Frank and her of his decision.

"Are you sure it's wise for you to leave now?" Phaidra asked. "The house isn't even finished and I still have lessons left with Lloyd."

"Awww, you're leaving?" Colette pouted.

Dirk smiled at Colette. "Yeah lass. I think we overstayed our welcome here. You know the mayor is not pleased with how Lloyd likes to sneak out and asked completely strangers where his father is."

"I can handle the mayor." Phaidra insisted. "You shouldn't just run off if things aren't in order."

"We'll be fine Phaidra." Dirk assured.

Frank shook his head. "You know Dirk, mom. Once he gets an idea, you can't force it out of his head."

Phaidra sighed in defeat. "Well, I don't want to give up my talks with Lloyd. He still has a lot to overcome."

"And he will for a long time to come." Dirk finished with a note of sadness. "But, we can't baby him forever."

"He's three years old, he is a baby." Phaidra corrected.

"Will Lloyd still come to visit?" Colette suddenly asked.

Dirk gave a small smile. "We'll see, lass." He then turned to face Lloyd, who was as quiet as ever. "Lloyd, you get to see your friend Noishe again."

Lloyd lit up at the news. "Noishe, how he's been?"

"He's been my partner for the last couple of weeks." Dirk said. "He's a good dog and he misses you."

"You have a doggy!" Colette suddenly exclaimed happily. "I want to see him!"

Frank shook his head. "You can't leave the village Colette."

Colette frowned at the news.

"You'll see Noishe eventually." Dirk laughed. "If you're ever in the area Frank, stop by. We can have ourselves a couple of cold ones."

Frank laughed at the offer, but Phaidra gave a sour look. He was going to miss these people.

The next morning came quickly and Lloyd and Dirk were ready to move out to the forest. Frank, Phaidra, and Colette were kind enough to see them off.

"Bye, bye!" Colette yelled as she waved happily from Frank's arms.

"Don't be strangers." Frank said.

"May the Goddess by with you." Phaidra stated.

"Thank yea for everything." Dirk said as he looked down towards Lloyd. "Say bye, Lloyd."

Lloyd looked at Dirk for a second before he turned back to look at the others. "Bye."

Phaidra gave a sad smile. "Stay strong, Lloyd. Better days will return one day."

They stepped out of the village and were almost immediately greeted by Noishe.

Both Frank and Phaidra grasped in shock.

Colette, on the other hand, squealed in delight. "Doggy!"

The nearby guard shook his head. "Still can't believe that's a dog."

Dirk put Lloyd on Noishe and took off. Things had greatly calmed down the forest and the Desians were no longer covering the area. The monsters' death had also stopped. It would seem the Desians had given up in finding that exsphere. It was all for the best.

Since it was safer, Dirk decided it was alright to take the shortest route to his house. Which took them passed the Ranch. Although the Ranch was on a high cliff and the route they were taking was nearly a fifty-foot drop from it, Dirk still avoided going that path for over a month out of fear that he may run into Desians.

He still kept on guard as they passed through the area and he knew Noishe was on high alert. Although, Noishe was most likely more concerned about the monsters than Desians. Whatever has happened to the dog had given him a near crippling phobia of any beast. Given the injury Noishe had to his shoulder when Dirk found him and what he suspected had happened that night, he couldn't blame him.

Midway through the walk, Dirk thought he sensed something watching them. He looked around for the source of the disturbance, but couldn't find anything. As fast as the feeling came, it was gone. It was strange; it was like it just disappeared. Maybe it was nothing at all.

Noishe looked at him as if to say he sensed it too. It didn't make him feel better. Maybe he made the wrong decision about coming this route.

Nonetheless, they made it to the house with no fanfare. Lloyd gasped when he saw the newly built house. It was a wooden house made out of dark lumber wood from the forest. There was a flat roof and several beams of construction for the second floor. Dirk's cave could no longer be seen since it was now behind the house and hidden from casual view.

However, it was something else that really got Lloyd's attention. His eyes turned when he saw his mother's grave. Instead of just being a mound of dirt marking where his mommy was sleeping, there was now a tombstone in its place. The tombstone was a gray with a light twinge of blue.

Lloyd jumped from Noishe's back and walked over to the grave. When he got close enough he saw what was written on the stone.

_Anna_

_Loving mother_

The words were simple and short, but it brought tears to Lloyd's eyes. Dirk walked over to him and placed a heavy hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"You made this?" Lloyd asked softly.

Dirk nodded, although he knew Lloyd couldn't see him. "I didn't know her last name since I figure Irving is your father's surname. She didn't tell me before she passed. She barely had the strength to give me her first."

Lloyd gently touched the stone. Tears began build into his eyes. "...thank you..."

Dirk smiled sadly. "It was the least I could have done for such a strong woman."

"Mommy..." Lloyd whispered.

Noishe walked over to join them. He also seemed to cry as he lowered his head down in reflection.

They stood like that for a long time in silence. Not even nature disturbed them.

* * *

><p><strong>The time of true healing has began. I could end the story here, but there is more to come.<strong>

**TriforceandSheikahArts, hopefully the grammar mistakes are reduced.**

**Kiomori, I would recommend any of Kasan Soulblade. She is a great author and I personally feel she is a must read for any fan of Tales of Symphonia. Now I sound like a fangirl, lol.**

**accident prone, glad you like my version of the mayor. I wanted to make him a jackass without going too far with it. Mostly because I do not think he is an evil person, just a cowardly and selfish one, something I doubt Dirk would respect.**

**Well, that is it for now. Until next time.**


	5. Flow of Time

**Thanks again for all the reviews and hits. School has been kind of tough, my 'advisor' really messed me up with my current class. Not to mention I am preparing for a big project for my Masters, but I will try to keep my updates on schedule for this story at least. Thankfully, I am several chapters ahead since I am not really in the mood to write right now.**

**On the story itself, we will finally get our first take on the Dwarven's language. Because of my complete lack of creativity of creating an original language, Dwarven is just a really bad translated form of swedish. I do not mean to offend any Sweden out there. I am just doing this for creative license, nothing more. For future reference, the angel language will be latin. I would also like to give thanks to my beta, **zealousfreak27**, who makes my story more readable.  
><strong>

**With all that done, onward to the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Flow of Time<strong>

* * *

><p>He kept closed watched on his prey, making sure it never left his sight. This was the first time in a while that he had seen a wild boar and he was not about to passed this chance up. His matched his breathing to the animal as to not to alert its senses. The boar was completely unaware of him as it searched the ground for food.<p>

Once its back was turned from him, he stuck. With one quick motion of his blade, he brought the boar down. The attack was so swift that the boar didn't have time to feel pain as it landed on its side.

With his prey dead, the boy put his sword back up. He wore a tan colored vest with long pants to match. He had gauntlets made of thick cloth on his hands that didn't cover his fingers, but went up to his hand. He had dark leather boots on that matched his over all appearance. Attached to his neck was an extremely long white ribbon that came to two sides of his back and flowed behind him like a cape.

He turned around, picked up his prize, and began his walk back towards his house. It was a fairly short walk until he came to a clearing in the forest. A house stood, fully completed, with a second floor with a balcony.

"I'm home, mom," the boy said to a nearby tombstone, before he made his way to the house.

Noishe barked happily from his stable that was built onto the house when he saw his master.

"Hey Noishe, I got us both a special treat," he said as he held up the boar.

Noishe licked his lips at the thought.

Lloyd then casually opened the door to the house and saw Dirk working on one of his many craft projects.

"Jag är hemma. Hur är sak?" He said.

Dirk looked towards the boy. "Välkommen hem, Lloyd. But you don't have to speak dwarven to me."

Lloyd smiled. "I know, but I wanted to practice a bit. How was it?"

"Your pronouncing needs some work, but it's much better," Dirk said. He then looked at Lloyd's hand. "So, you went hunting, did yea."

"Yep." Lloyd said as he put the pig on the table.

"You're aware you're cooking that yourself," Dirk stated.

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "I know, Dirk."

Dirk smiled as he went back to work.

Lloyd and he had a deal. Lloyd loved to eat meat and Dirk said he could have all the meat he wanted if he caught and cooked the animal himself.

To that end, Lloyd taught himself to use a sword, which Dirk forged himself, to be able to go out hunting. He got roughed up pretty badly the first couple times he hunted, but now he was nearly a pro at it although he was still no match for the bigger beasts in the forest. Which made sense since Lloyd was still just eight years old.

Dirk was taken by surprise that Lloyd could handle a sword so well. It was almost like he was born to use one, although Lloyd always looked a little strange using just one sword for some reason. Like he was missing something. But Dirk was no expert in swordsmanship despite the fact he could forge weapons.

"So, have you decided whether or not you'll be coming to town with me?" Dirk asked.

Lloyd paused as he finished gutting the pig. "I don't like going there. People treat me like some kind of outcast."

Dirk sighed. "You can't hide from the village forever."

Lloyd went back to his pig. "Will you tell me if you see a strange man there?"

"I always do." Dirk said.

Even though Dirk has been asking that same question for years, Lloyd still asked him to look for his lost father. Maybe in his mind, Lloyd had given up on the fact that his father was still alive. But his heart refused to let go of the hope.

"I expect you to be in the cave for your lessons." Dirk said as he got up. "Don't spend too much time on that pig." He then left.

"Yes Dirk." Lloyd said in a deadpan voice.

Cleaning the pig took longer than Lloyd expected and cooking it took even longer. Although he knew he couldn't rush since food poisoning was the last thing he wanted. Once the meat was cooked all the way through, he rushed into the cave that was once Dirk's original home. All the furniture had been moved out to the new house and only the furnace was left, which was were where Dirk did all of his forging.

He wanted to do that type of craftsmanship, but Dirk kept telling him he was too young. For now, he was still on small projects like craving wood to make charms, miniature statues, and masks.

"You're late," Dirk reprimanded when he saw Lloyd.

"Sorry," Lloyd muttered.

Dirk shook his head. "If you don't get it together boy, you never be a good craftsman. Remember..."

"I know," Lloyd said in a deadpan voice. "Dwarven Vow nummer tre, gynnsamma är ett steg mot fulländning."

Dirk sighed. "You didn't have to say it in dwarven. Well come on, let's begin the lessons."

For the past three years, Dirk had been teaching Lloyd his craft. Like swordsmanship, Lloyd seemed to have a special eye for this type of work. His keen eye allowed him to spot many details that Dirk himself tended to miss when he was younger. Dirk also noticed early on that Lloyd could use both of his hands equally. A great skill to have for craftwork.

The problem with Lloyd was that he was too impatient. He tended to rush through his work and make many careless mistakes. In his rush one time, Lloyd nearly cut his finger off with a craving knife. Which was one of the reasons why he wouldn't let him anywhere the furnace or work on any steel objects.

"Slow down, boy," Dirk said. "Remember Dwarven Vow number forty-one."

Yes, Dirk," Lloyd said as he attempted to carve a mask out of a large block of wood.

He really wanted to work with steel and learn how to forge weapons. He didn't know why, but every time he watched Dirk worked with weapons, especially swords, he felt a special connection with something that he had long forgotten. Maybe if he made his own weapons, he would remember what it was. Not to mention he could make the most epic sword in the world.

"Lloyd, watch your hand," Dirk warned too late as Lloyd cut his hand. Luckily, his leather gauntlets protected him from harm.

Dirk sighed in disappointment. "You still have a long way to go."

Once the lessons were done for the day; it was time for dinner. As always, Lloyd offered Dirk a piece of his meat and just as always, Dirk refused.

Before they ate, however, Dirk stopped Lloyd at the table. "Okay lad, what was today's Dwarven Vow?"

Lloyd paused for a moment in thought. "Uhmm, Dwarven Vow number...one-hundred and eight, let sleeping dog sleep."

"It's let sleeping dogs lie, actually," Dirk corrected.

"Dammit!" Lloyd cursed.

Dirk chuckled. "No need for foul language, that was close enough."

Lloyd beamed happily.

"For reference, let me hear you say the vow in dwarven," Dirk said.

Lloyd thought about for a moment. "Låt...sovande hundar...ligga."

"Good, now you can eat," Dirk said.

Lloyd smiled happily as he dug into his pork. Dirk also fixed him some red beans with a loaf of bread.

Dirk had a similar meal, except instead of pork, he had some strange item that looked like grains of rock. Lloyd tried to eat some in the past, but could never get used to the taste and the grains tended to get caught in his throat. Although he had taken a liking to Dirk's soups, especially his Pot Luck Surprise. It was something he always looked forward to since he always got a prize in his meal.

"Lloyd, I have been thinking about it and I think you should really come to town with me," Dirk said, breaking the silence of the meal.

"Why?" Lloyd asked shortly.

"Because you really can't stay in these woods," Dirk said. "Besides, Frank and Phaidra have been asking about you."

Lloyd turned his eyes away. "I don't like talking to Phaidra. She always going on and on about how great and good Martel is. I'm sick of hearing it."

Dirk gave a short sighed.

A couple years ago, Lloyd decided that he didn't like Martel, or more specially, the Church. All the priests, besides Phaidra, didn't like how Lloyd wasn't being brought up in the faith and not attending church along with the special school that the Church held before service. To some of the priests, Dirk was a bad influence since he didn't believed in the dogma of the Church of Martel.

Although he had no love for the Church, he would never stop Lloyd from worshipping in it. Faith and religion was a personal choice between an individual and it wasn't something society or caregivers should be involved in. Besides, Lloyd was just a kid and was still developing his own identity. Of course, the priests disagreed and thought all children should be baptized as soon as possible. Death, after all, cared nothing for age and the boy would be lost to the void if he weren't saved.

"You shouldn't blame Phaidra for the misguided actions of a few," Dirk advised. "It would be like blaming all half-elves over the Desians' actions."

"I know," Lloyd said as he started to pick at his food. "I just get tired of everyone trying to get me to accept Martel. Worshipping Martel maybe fine for them, but I just don't feel comfortable with it."

"No one can force yea to do something you don't want," Dirk said. "Not even the Church. Besides, Frank and Phaidra are friends and really helped us out back in the day. The least you can do is stop by and say hello."

Lloyd sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'll go."

Dirk smiled. "Good, lad. We leave bright and early."

Lloyd finished his food and gave some of the left over pork to Noishe, who gabbled it up greedily. Lloyd decided to save the rest so he could make bacon or maybe even ham in the morning.

He wanted to stay up late to watch Dirk work, but he was quickly sent to bed since he had to get up early.

Instead of going straight to sleep, however, he spent most of the night trying to work on one of his personal carvings. It was a little statue he had been working on for a while. It was a woman wearing a long dress and with long hair. Once the carving was done, he could paint it with the special mixture he had learned to make from Dirk.

This statue was different since he was trying to recreate what his mother looked like from the edge of his memory. He wasn't sure if this was what she looked like, but he felt he was close. When he was finished, he was going to show it to Dirk and ask him, since he actually saw his mother while she was alive. As he worked at his desk, he unconsciously dozed off into a deep sleep.

It was dark and he felt cold and wet. He could feel movement and shouts coming at him. He was so scared, but someone was holding him, telling him it was alright. The voice sounded familiar, but he wasn't sure who it was.

Suddenly he was thrown forward and he was knocked out of that person's grip. He felt even colder and there was a strange taste in his mouth. Then something grabbed him, but it wasn't the warm, comfortable grip from earlier. This person was harsh, cold, and held him too tight. He could hear people screaming and he looked up to see a person with very narrow eyes. Those eyes seemed to bore into him as a bone-chilling laugh froze his blood.

Lloyd shot awake as he looked around his room in confusion. It was that nightmare again. He had been getting them almost as long as he could remember. Each time, he would forget the dream almost as soon as he woke up. It was like his mind was trying to remember something, but it kept slipping away. They used to be worse when he was younger, but they had been steadily becoming fewer and further in-between.

The thing he always remembered from his dream, however, were those eyes. Those eyes that seemed to burn with pure evil. And that laugh, just thinking about it made him shiver. Who was that man? Why did he feel so familiar? Maybe it was better that he didn't remember.

He could tell from the noise downstairs that Dirk was still working. He could never understand how Dirk could be both a night owl and a morning bird all at the same time. He didn't go to bed until twelve or one in the morning, but he could wake with the sun and never be tired during the day.

When asked about it, Dirk just laughed and said dwarves didn't need to sleep as long as humans. It must really be nice to be a dwarf. Then again, he would be force to eat rocks and grow a beard.

He took off his clothes and decided to go to bed for real. Hoping that his nightmare would not return. His hopes were answered and the rest of the night was dreamless.

Lloyd was knocked out of his restful lure when he felt something shaking him harshly. "Wake up! Time to get up!"

Lloyd moaned as he slowly woke up. "Dirk, just a little longer."

"I said you were getting up early," Dirk said harshly

Lloyd sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Dirk became concerned when he saw the dark circles under Lloyd's eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah fine," Lloyd answered quickly.

Dirk stared at him for a moment. "Don't make me recite Dwarven vow number eleven."

Lloyd cringed at the thought. "I had a nightmare."

Dirk's face softened. "One of those nightmares?"

Lloyd nodded.

As sad as it was, those nightmares were a big improvement over those night terrors, especially since Lloyd didn't scream for an hour straight in terror.

"Can you remember anything?" Dirk asked.

Lloyd shook his head.

"Well, maybe it will come to yea," Dirk said, although he doubted it. "Either case, get ready we leave in thirty minutes." He then left the room.

Lloyd snapped out of his funk and began to quickly dress himself and brush his teeth. He didn't bother to comb his hair since it stuck up no matter what he did to it.

Once he was done, he ran down the flight of stairs and made him a quick breakfast. He didn't have time to make the ham or bacon he wanted, so had to make do with some scrambled eggs. He inhaled the meal and then ran out the door.

Dirk was waiting patiently out the door with Noishe. "Bout time. Let's go."

Lloyd nodded and they began to make their way through the forest. The walk was quiet, but peaceful. The only time he felt unnerved was when they passed by the Ranch. Even from the distance they were, that place gave him the creeps. It didn't help that you could hear the suffering from behind those steel walls.

The day that Dirk took him to the Ranch and he saw firsthand what happened to those people was forever burnt into his mind. It was hard to believe that a person could rip apart another person like that.

After about an hour of walking, they made it to the town. As always, two guards were there to greet them.

"Oh, hello Dirk," One of the guards said in a pleasant voice.

Dirk nodded. "Good morning to you."

One of the guards looked passed Dirk. "Wow, is that Lloyd? He sure has gotten bigger since the last time we've saw him."

The first guard nodded. "He's almost as big as you now."

Dirk laughed. "Well, that's not saying much."

"You can come on in, but that creature has to stay out here," the second guard said.

Noishe whined in disappointment.

"Noishe is not a creature, he's a dog," Lloyd said in annoyance.

"I don't care what it is, it can't come inside the village," the second guard said firmly.

"Let it go, Lloyd," Dirk advised as they walked inside.

The village was relatively empty since it was still breakfast time. Lloyd followed closely behind Dirk as people gave him strange looks. They walked until they reached the mayor's house, which was standing outside and gave a small smile when he saw them.

"Good morning, Dirk. Glad you could make it," the mayor said.

"I'm here to do that job you hire me for," Dirk said.

"Yes well, the roof is damage right along that area," the mayor said as he pointed to the roof of his house.

"Not a problem," Dirk said.

"I also have to commend you for the work you continue to do to the Jefferson's house. It's just a shame that nobody has moved into it even after all these years," the mayor said with a sigh.

"As long as you pay me, I will keep doing the up keep until an owner is found," Dirk said.

The mayor began to look at Lloyd. "He sure has grown. Seems you have been doing a good job raising him so far."

"I do my best," Dirk stated.

"Although it will become must harder once he become a teenager," the mayor said. "Maybe you should consider letting someone from the village care for him in due time. They could give him guidance for those rough years ahead."

Dirk was not fooled by the offer. He knew the mayor had no faith in his ability to raise Lloyd as a 'proper' human. He probably thought Lloyd was going to grow up weird in some way, especially since he raised Lloyd out of the sight of the village. He was also sure that the mayor was receiving some pressure from the Church too.

"We cross that bridge when it comes," Dirk said instead. "For now, I need to get to work."

The mayor didn't seem pleased by that answer, but stepped aside and went back into his house. Dirk grabbed a ladder from the side of the house and climbed to the roof.

Lloyd grabbed Dirk's supplies and followed him up. They spent most of the morning repairing the roof. Dirk worked on fixing the damage while Lloyd passed Dirk supplies and studied his Dwarven Vows. Although Lloyd didn't care for home repairs, he still wanted to see Dirk work. It still amazed him that Dirk's huge hands could be so nimble and quick. He wondered if all dwarves were born with this skill.

Once the roof was repaired, they climbed down and Dirk went into the house to receive his payment. Lloyd stood outside and watched the other kids play by kicking a ball around. He looked over each of the faces and saw one he recognized. He knew the person he was looking at was the Chosen, the most important person in the entire Church. Dirk told him that he spent a lot of time with the Chosen when he stayed in Iselia briefly. He honestly didn't remember those days. They were nothing but blurred memories to him.

For a brief moment, the Chosen caught his eye and he quickly turned away. He had no intention in getting involved with her. Besides, he couldn't anyway. Anyone who wasn't a part of the Church could not speak to the Chosen. The only reason why she even knew him was because of her grandmother. They also said that the Chosen's holy light burned nonbelievers.

He never actually believed that, but why tempt fate. Besides, the Chosen was no different from the priests who tried to make him join the Church. He couldn't stand those people.

"Ready to go?" Dirk said as he left the mayor's house.

Lloyd nodded as he followed Dirk to Phaidra's house. Something told him that this was the start of a long day.

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><p><strong>I hope you like the little time-skip I did. I know that kid Lloyd is still a little on the emo side, but I promise he will get better. I also promise not to overdo it on the Dwarven, but I wanted you to get a feel on how Lloyd and Dirk use it in their everyday lives.<strong>

**Since we are kind of at the half-way point with this story, I should update you on how my Tales of Symphonia novelization is coming. So far, I am not as far along as I would like. At this moment, I am at the point where they meet Kvar from the first time. This may sound fairly far, but remember the Journey of Regeneration is only the first third of the game. However, by the time I actually post that part, I should be must further along, hopefully.  
><strong>

**With that said, until next time.**


	6. Guardian

**Sorry about the late chapter, my beta ran late again. But, we still own thanks to zealousfreak27 for checking these chapters and keeping my grammar under control. Thanks for all the reviews and hits.**

**Now, onward to the chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Guardian<strong>

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><p>Colette watched the strange boy leave alongside Dirk. She remembered the boy from long ago and had seen him a couple times in town, although she hadn't spoken to him in years. Lloyd was his name if she remembered correctly. Her grandmother had a long history with him. She told her that Lloyd was a damage young man, but she wouldn't say why he was damaged. Perhaps it was because he refused to accept Martel into his life.<p>

"Why'd you stop, Colette?" the other kids asked. They then followed her line of sight.

"Oh, it's that weirdo kid." a child said. "Haven't seen him in a while."

A kid shook his head. "My dad said he's dangerous because he doesn't accept Martel and he was raised in the beliefs of a dwarf."

"What do dwarves believe in?" A young girl asked.

"Who knows." another girl said. "But it's weird that he doesn't have human parents."

Colette moved away from her playmates and began to follow Dirk back to her house. The other kids made no effect to stop her. She was the Chosen, after all, and no one besides the priests could tell her what to do.

Colette followed them until she saw them standing in front of her house. The door was opened and Dirk was happily chatting with her grandmother. Lloyd looked around, not interested in the conversation.

"You've grown so much, Lloyd," Phaidra said kindly. "How old are you now?"

"I'm eight," Lloyd answered simply.

Phaidra nodded. "I thought as much. You're a year older than Colette." She paused when she saw Colette walking towards them in the distance. "Speaking of which, here she comes now."

Dirk and Lloyd turned around to see the energetic seven year old running at them. She stopped just a couple inches in front of them.

"Hi, Lloyd," Colette said happily. "I just saw you leave the mayor's house."

Lloyd gave a forced smile. "Hi, Chosen."

Colette tried not to flinch to the bluntness of her title.

"You don't have to call her Chosen until Day of Prophecy arrives," Phaidra said.

"She is what she is," Lloyd said. The slightly rude comment got him a nudge and a glare from Dirk.

"You've gotten bigger and more pretty, lass," Dirk said. "You will be a beautiful young lady one day."

Colette giggled slightly. "Thank you, Mr. Dirk. When will you be coming to service?"

Dirk gave a forced smile. She always asked that question. Lloyd didn't bother hiding his annoyance. "Lass, as I've said before, I don't believe in your faith."

Colette frowned. "But you said you would read more about it."

"I did, but I still can't sign on," Dirk said. "I respect and honor the Goddess Martel, but that's as far it goes."

"But the only way through salvation is to the Goddess," Colette said, close to. "I want you to go to heaven Mr. Dirk. Along with Lloyd."

"Colette, you know you can't force people to accept Martel," Phaidra said kindly. "Some people have to find their own way before discovering the truth."

Although Phaidra was trying to help Dirk out in her own way, he kind of wished she could have done it without implying that everyone would eventually accept and worship Martel.

Colette stared at her grandmother with wide eyes. "But grandma, those who don't believe are sent to the void, where they remain for all eternity lost in darkness. It's my duty to guide as many people to the light as I can. I want everyone to have happiness in this world and the next, once the world is regenerated."

Lloyd looked like he was about to say something, but was cut off by Dirk who squeezed his shoulder tightly.

"I understand your concern, but me and Lloyd will be fine," Dirk assured kindly.

"Dirk, we have some catching up to do," Phaidra said, trying to change the subject. "Colette, why don't you take Lloyd to play with the other kids for a while."

Colette's mood brightened at the suggestion. "Yes, grandam."

She grabbed Lloyd and pulled him away from the others. He was so caught off-guard by her strength that he was dragged along the road. Colette didn't stop until she rejoined the other kids in play. They all stopped when they spotted Lloyd.

"Hey, Colette brought that dwarven kid," one of the kids said.

Colette clapped her hands together. "Lloyd is going to play with us now."

Lloyd shyly waved to everyone.

"Can he even play human games?" a kid asked.

"Well, he was raised a dwarf," the young girl said.

"What are you playing?" Lloyd asked. Not caring how they were talking like he wasn't there.

"Tag," the other girl said. "You know how to play?"

Lloyd nodded. "I play that all the time with my dog."

"Cool, keeps us from telling the rules," the first kid said as he tapped Lloyd. "You're it." The other kids, including Colette, scattered at they attempted to get away from Lloyd.

Lloyd smiled mischievously as he chased after his peers. Some of the kids were nimble and quick, but they were no matched for Lloyd. After years of chasing boars, wild chickens, and even small monsters in the forest, the kids posed little challenge to him.

Although he did find Colette to be extremely hard to catch. Every time he got close to tagging her, she would trip on some invisible rock or stick and fall out of his line of sight. He even fell over Colette more than a couple times. He wasn't sure if Colette was just clumsy or extremely lucky.

"Sorry, Lloyd," Colette apologized as she again as helped Lloyd up.

"Stop saying sorry," Lloyd said. "You're not doing it on purpose." At least he didn't think she was.

Colette put her head down in shame. "I know. I'm sorry."

Lloyd was about to say something, but chose to sigh in defeat.

After twenty or so more times, he finally managed to tag the elusive Chosen.

"I win!" Lloyd exclaimed. That was a hard won victory.

"You're pretty good," one of the kids said. "Did you learn all that from your father?"

Lloyd shook his head. "I haven't seen my father in years, although I have been looking for him."

All the kids looked at each in confusion. Lloyd also gave them a confuse look.

"I was talking about your adoptive father, Dirk," the kid said.

Lloyd stepped away in shock. "He's not my father! I'm just staying with him until my real father is found."

"But he raised you since you were a kid, so wouldn't that make him your father in a way?" one of the girls asked.

Lloyd shook his head. "He's still not my dad."

One of the other kids decided that what Lloyd had on the side of his waist was more interesting than the current conversation. "Wow, is that a sword?"

Lloyd looked down as his sword sheath and smiled. "Yeah, Dirk made it for me." He took it out and showed them the shiny steel, causing everyone to grasp.

"So cool!" one of the kids exclaimed.

"You're so lucky," a kid said as he began to jump up and down. "My dad said I can't have one until I'm eighteen."

"Have you killed anyone?" a girl asked.

"Only animals and monsters." Lloyd answered.

"How about Desians?" another kid asked.

"You mustn't say such things," Colette said. "One shall not kill unless it's in the service of life."

"Who cares about a bunch of Desians?" a kid asked. "They do mean stuff to people all the time."

"Doesn't mean we should become like them," Colette said. "It's written that the good servant always follows the light despite the temptation to do darkness."

Lloyd pointed his sword into the ground. "Well, I haven't used it on any Desian yet. Dirk forbids me to go anywhere near that Ranch."

"I hope someone comes and kill all the Desians one day," the other girl said. "My mommy said that if all the half-elves had died during the ancient war, we would all be at peace."

Colette grasp. "What a terrible thing to say. The Desians are evil, but not all half-elves are bad."

"Have you ever seen a good half-elf?" one of the kids challenged.

Colette bit her lip before answering. "Well no, but I do know plenty of half-elves are part of the Church of Martel all over the world. Some have even become priests."

"Maybe they're Desians spies sent to get close to you and kill you," the girl suggested.

Lloyd rolled his eyes. "Colette's right, not all half-elves are bad. My dad has even worked for some half-elf clients. The Desians are evil and I won't mind taking their lives."

"Hey Lloyd, did Dirk teach you any cool techniques on your sword?" one of children asked, obviously bored talking about the Desians.

Lloyd smiled as he shook his head. "No, I taught myself."

"So, do you know any techniques?" a girl asked.

Lloyd's wolfish smile got even bigger. "Sure do, watch." He broke away from the group and stepped near a tree. His eyes narrowed in concentration and he could feel something warm swirl around his body and into his sword.

"Demon Fang!" Lloyd yelled as a wave of mana was released from his sword. All the kids grasp in both shock and surprise as the wave of mana hit the tree and left a nice size dent on the tree trunk.

"That's so cool!" all the kids exclaimed as they surrounded Lloyd.

"How'd you do that?" one asked.

"Can you teach me?" another asked.

"How you come up with the name?" someone else asked.

Before Lloyd could answer any of them, someone broke through the crowd and grabbed Lloyd harshly by the arm. "What do you think you're doing?"

Lloyd looked up to see the stern eyes of the mayor glaring down at him. He then began to look around and saw several adults walking towards him.

"Answer my question?" the mayor demanded.

"I was just showing the other kids my sword." Lloyd said.

"Really, who gives a sword to a kid," a woman said as she shook his head. "Doesn't Dirk know better."

"This is what happens when a kid is raised by a dwarf," another person said.

Before Lloyd could take it all in, the mayor spoke again. "Using a steel sword in this village is strictly forbidden until the age of eighteen. Your careless actions could have hurt one of the children or worst, the Chosen."

"Dirk said it was okay!" Lloyd shot back. "Besides, I know how to use my sword."

The mayor ignored that statement. "Give it to me. Give me that sword right now."

"No!" Lloyd said, as he broke away from the mayor's grasped. "It's mine."

"Insolent child, didn't Dirk teach you any manners," the mayor said. "I guess I should expect no less from a boy who's not only raised by a dwarf, but one who refuses to attend church."

The parents of the kids began to pull their children away from Lloyd.

"Get away from him. I don't want his bad influence rubbing off on you," one parent said.

"What a little heathen. I would set him right if he was my child," someone else said.

"Chosen, get away from this nonbeliever," one of the adults yelled. "You're too pure to be in his presences."

Colette looked around, horrified. "Stop treating Lloyd like this. He didn't know better and he caused no harm."

Lloyd was surprise to see Colette standing up for him.

"Chosen, he could have hurt you with that attack," the mayor said. "Don't you see if anything would had happened to you, our world would be doom. It's obviously this nonbeliever doesn't care about you or our world."

Colette shook her head. "Just because he doesn't believe in the Church doesn't mean he doesn't honor or care about life."

The mayor's face softened, but his eyes remained stern. "Even so, I must ask him to give me his sword. He broke the law of our village to sneak it in here."

Lloyd shook his head. "I won't. I've done nothing wrong."

"Boy, give me that sword!" the mayor yelled as he attempted to grab Lloyd again. Lloyd ducked the sloppy grab and ran off.

He broke through the crowd that had gathered and ran towards the exit.

"Stop him!" the mayor yelled.

The commotion got the attention of the guards, but they didn't act fast enough before Lloyd ran between them. He kept going until he entered the woods.

The mayor chased after him for a moment before he gave up, completely out of breath. "Crazy kid."

Colette chose to run back to her house and tell Dirk what had happened. She managed to get there without tripping and slammed the door open.

"Colette, what's wrong?" Phaidra asked. She got up from the sofa Dirk and her were sitting at.

"The mayor ran Lloyd out of the village," Colette said, closed to tears.

"What!" Dirk exclaimed. Now he was standing up too.

Colette attempted to calm down. "The mayor was mad at Lloyd for having a sword. He said Lloyd was too young to have one and put me in danger."

Dirk slapped his hand on his forehead. "Förbanna mig, I've completely forgotten about that law," he said as he slipped back into his native tongue for a moment.

Phaidra shook his head. "That is still inexcusable for chasing a child out of town. I'll give that man a stern talking to later."

"I better go after Lloyd before he gets hurt." Dirk said. "Sorry to cut this visit short."

"Just take care of Lloyd," Phaidra said. Dirk nodded as he walked out.

"It's all my fault grandma. Lloyd wouldn't have gotten in so much trouble if I was there," Colette cried.

"Perhaps, but it's too late to do anything about it now," Phaidra said smoothly as she hugged Colette and stroked her hair.

Colette finally calmed down as she went back outside to get some fresh air. She still felt guilty and wanted to apologize to Lloyd in person. But the only way to see Lloyd now was to go into the forest. She was forbidden from ever leaving the village. She didn't want to disobey the village's laws, but she couldn't let Lloyd leave with such bitter feelings.

With her mind made up, she snuck back into the house and went into her room to get the chakrams that she was trained to fight with every since she was five years old. From what the priests told her, she had chosen them over a room filled with weapons when she was three and they found one of the best trainers in the Church's system to train her. Even though the Chosen was always guarded, a good Chosen was one who could defend themselves when the moment came.

She snuck back down, careful that her grandmother wouldn't see her, and ran out the house. Without stopping, she took the short cut through a broken part of the wooden gate to get passed the guards. She saw a doggy digging a hole through here a couple days ago and she was thankfully just small enough to squeeze through.

Soon, she was outside of the village and began to make her way towards the wood. A part of her was scared, but excited that she was about to see a new part of the world. It was a little part, but it was more than she had seen in her short life.

As she entered the woods, she was taking in by how beautiful it was. She has never seen so many trees in her life. Seeing the forest from the distance did not do justice to its beauty. There were also a bunch of plants she had never seen before. She wanted to taste them, but remembered hearing that some plants were poisonous and could make one sick just by touching them. So she decided to side with caution for the moments. Besides, there were other pretty things to see.

Before she could go off too much, however, Colette remembered the reason why she was there. She had to find Lloyd. The most likely place he would be was back at Dirk's house. Although she had never been to Dirk's, she knew he lived near the end of the forest not too far from a cave. She should be able to find it if she wondered long enough.

With that in mind, she began to make her way towards the back of the forest. Every now and then a bird, squirrel, or a couple of piglets distracted her. They were just too cute, especially hearing the piglets squeal as they hurried away.

As she got deeper into the woods, she began to feel that something was stalking her. She looked around, but saw nothing unusual. At least, she thought it was usual. She kept going until a loud growl hit her ears. She turned around to see gray doggies beginning to surround her. They were about ten of them and they were a dark gray with pointy ears, and sharp teeth. They also had fluffy tails sticking over their backs and they weren't wagging.

"Hi, doggies," Colette said cheerfully.

The doggies didn't return her greeting, as they got closer to her. Colette suddenly got the feeling that these doggies were not friendly. Her assumption was proven correct when one of the doggies tried to jump her. She dodged the attack and took out her chakrams.

"No, bad doggies!" Colette exclaimed as she nicked the next dog that attempted to attack her. She cut it across the back, given it a huge gash. The doggie yelped in pain as it got back into formation.

"Down doggies." Colette ordered. "I don't want to hurt you."

The doggies growled at her as they prepared to pounce on her again. She was in a bad position since she was surrounded on all sides, which meant her back was always turned to one hostile group. It was one of the worst situations you could find yourself in from what her trainers always told her. It didn't help that she didn't want to hurt the misunderstood dogs.

One of the dogs jumped her again. She dodged, but was taken off-guard when another dog attempted to pounce her from the side; she had no time to react before the doggie was right on top of her. Before it could sink its teeth into her, however, it was knocked back and blood flowed from a wound on its neck.

Colette looked in front of her to see Lloyd now stand there. His sword was out and bloody from the strike. "Are you okay, Chosen?"

Colette nodded as she stood up. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting these doggies to be so mean."

"That's because they're not dogs," Lloyd said. "They're timber wolves."

"Wolves?" Colette questioned.

"Think of a bad temper dog," Lloyd simplified.

Colette nodded.

"Stay back," Lloyd advised. "I can handle them."

The wolves attacked again and Lloyd ran into the action. Faster than Colette could see, Lloyd was cutting and slashing his way through the wolves. There was a type of brutal grace to his style and it left Colette speechless. Lloyd was didn't seem to mind the blood that was spraying everywhere. Colette couldn't help but to feel for the poor wolves.

Lloyd was actually finding the wolves more difficult to deal with than he thought. They outnumbered him and one false move would give him a painful and bloody end. He also had to protect the Chosen. If anything happened to her, the village would have his head, along with Dirk just because he was there. He needed some extra space.

He glanced around the forest floor and saw a long stick lying in the grass. It would have to do.

A wolf attempted to pin his arm with its teeth, before Lloyd rolled over and grabbed the stick with one swift motion. He was back on his feet and poised with a stick in one hand and his sword in another. Despite the awkward difference in weight, it strangely felt right. Like, this was the way he was supposed to fight.

With his newfound confidence, he began to beat back the pack, but stunning them with stick and cutting them with the sword. He could have killed them, but he could tell by Colette's face that she didn't want the wolves harmed too badly. Despite his feelings, he decided to honor her wishes.

Soon, the wolf pack had enough abuse and retreated back into the forest. Lloyd took several strained breaths as he kneeled on the ground. That fight was more exhausting than he had expected.

"You saved me!" Colette cheered as she ran towards Lloyd's side.

"Chosen, what are you doing here?" Lloyd asked as he caught his breath.

Colette looked down. "I wanted to say I'm sorry for the way the villagers treated you."

Lloyd looked at her in surprise. "You came all the way out here to say sorry?"

"It was my fault that the villagers treated you so harshly. It was because I'm the Chosen and everyone got worries about me," Colette said as she shook her head.

Lloyd stared at her for a moment. "I'm surprised you cared. I'm, after all, a nonbeliever."

Colette put both her hands together. "But even a nonbeliever is a person. No matter our beliefs, we still hurt the same."

That was the last thing he ever expected the Chosen to say. This was supposed to be the person who looked down on him. Then again, Colette has never actually treated him badly. She could get preachy at times about the Church, Martel, and him being saved, but she never downright hated on him. If fact, as much as her preaching annoyed him, it was done more out of love and concern than righteousness. Maybe he was so blinded by his dislike for the Church that he missed the subtle differences.

"Besides, Martel sent you to save me from those doggies," Colette smiled.

"What, I was just moping in a tree when I saw you in trouble," Lloyd said. "You were just lucky you were attack here of all places."

Colette shook her head. "There's no luck with the Goddess Martel. She put you in that tree to protect me, like a guardian."

"Guardian?" Lloyd questioned. What was this girl talking about?

"Whether you believe in Martel or not, she can see your heart," Colette said, her smile growing wider. "And, it's a good one."

Lloyd could feel himself beginning to blush before he began to cough. "Well, I guess I could take you to my house. I really don't want to go back to the village and explain why you're with me."

Colette nodded. "Sounds good."

Lloyd stood up and put away his sword and dropped the stick. He then grabbed Colette's hand and guided her back to his home. It was actually a nice feeling to be called someone's guardian.

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><p><strong>I have to admit, Colette and Lloyd make a cute little couple. Although, it is hard to write Colette since you have to balanced her being a feather brain and her odd quirks without making her stupid. Hope I did well on that.<strong>

**DennyTribal, I honestly wasn't excepting anyone to understand my really bad swedish. I hope my use of it didn't insult the language since I'm pretty much using an internet translator, because I speak no other language but english sad to say.**

**Until next chapter.**


	7. Similar and Different

**Sorry again for the semi-late chapter, but I'm kind of under the weather at the moment and I am severally low on energy. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.**

**Thanks again for all the hits and reviews, your feedback really do give my strength and encourage me to make a better story. I also want to thank my beta zealousfreak27 for putting up with my stupid grammar mistakes.**

**Now, onward to the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Similar and Different<strong>

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><p>The walk was quiet at first, but soon Colette wouldn't stop asking questions about the forest. She kept pointing to certain plants, trees, and animals that caught her interest.<p>

Lloyd provided as much information as he could. Dirk had taught him a lot about these woods and that information had kept him alive in this forest. The wildlife was not completely dangerous and vicious, but they could do damage if you were caught off-guard. Which made Colette easy prey since her attention span was not that long. Truthfully, neither did Lloyd. He was just able to jump back to attention faster than Colette.

Colette suddenly stopped talking when a certain smell hit her senses. It was bad, worst than anything else she had ever known. The only thing she could compare it to was when one of the kids left their lunch in the school building over a particularly hot weekend.

"What is that?" Colette asked.

"That's the Ranch," Lloyd said as he looked towards the cliff where the steel building stood. "You've never been near one before?

Colette shook her head. "Never, I've only hear of them."

Lloyd tapped his hand before he came to a decision. "Do you want to see it?"

Colette looked at Lloyd in surprise. "But isn't it forbidden to go near the Ranch?"

"Yeah, but we'll be fine as long as we don't mess with the Desians," Lloyd assured as he began to walk ahead. Colette only hesitated for a moment before she joined him.

They walked up a steep slope and began to see more of the Ranch's fence. The smell also got worse and Colette began to feel sick. The stink was affecting even Lloyd.

"Why does the Ranch smells like that?" Colette asked.

"You're see once we get to the Ranch," Lloyd answered.

Within another few minutes, they reached a wired fence that wrapped around the side of the Ranch's main steel gate. Lloyd led Colette into some brushes so they wouldn't be seen.

Colette watched in horror as she looked at the people trapped within the Ranch. The people were forced to push giant steel blocks around the yard. It took almost all their effort just to move them a couple of inches. Every time someone attempted to stop and catch their breath, a Desian was on top of them and brutally beat them before forcing them back to work.

How the people looked, however, was what really broke Colette's heart. They wore dirty brown outfits that were soiled with sweat and blood. She could also saw stains in the crotch area, showing that the people might have wet themselves. Given how the Desians didn't seem to give the people breaks, it was possible that the people were force to use the restroom in their clothes.

The dirt and filth was also ingrained into their skin. Their hair were also so matted up that it made them look less than human. They looked like they could break in two at any moment because they were so frail and thin. How could anyone be so cruel?

"This is horrible," Colette managed to whisper.

"This is a Human Ranch," Lloyd said, barely controlling his anger. "Dirk took me up here once to show me what happens to those who are caught by the Desians. He said if it ever happened to me, it would be better to take my own life."

Colette had always been always taught that ending your own life was the same as murder. However, she could not blame anyone for choosing death over this kind of treatment. Seeing the dead, hopeless looks in those people's eyes told her that they had all but given up on life.

"It's stuff like this that makes me hate the Desians," Lloyd continued. "Evil, they're just pure evil."

"That is why I must regenerate the world," Colette said. "To awaken the Goddess and to banish the Desians."

"If Martel's so great, why can't she banish the Desians herself?" Lloyd grumbled. "Why's she sleeping and letting evil people do these kind of things?"

Colette frowned. "Because people have lost faith in her. When people lose faith in Martel, she grows weaker and isn't able to maintain her power. That's why she has fallen into a deep sleep."

Lloyd wanted to say that was a load of bull, but something told him to keep his mouth closed on the subject.

"Which is why I'm the only one destined to stop the Desians and free these people," Colette finished as she watched an older woman get beaten half to death by the Desians. "I just wish there was something I could do now."

Lloyd knew that feeling all too well. He had thought about coming here many times and freeing these people, but he knew he didn't have the strength to do it. He was just a simple child and the Desians could use magic and had better weapons. He also knew they could harm Dirk if he did anything against them. Although Dirk wasn't his father, he still didn't want any harm to come to him.

"We better leave. I'm starting to get used to the smell," Lloyd said as he crawled out of the bushes, making sure that no one saw him.

Colette did the same and they walked back down the slope. As soon as they reached the safety of the bottom, Lloyd was suddenly attacked by a blur of white and green. Lloyd fell on his butt as he looked to see what had hit him.

"Noishe?" Lloyd questioned as his dog began to lick his face furiously. "Get off! Dammit, get off!"

"Doggie!" Colette exclaimed happily as she patted Noishe.

He turned around to face her and began to sniff her clothes. He then began to lick Colette's face, who happily giggled.

Lloyd stood up as he wiped his face. "Chosen, this is Noishe."

Colette smiled. "Hello, Noishe. You're such a good doggie."

Noishe whined happily.

"I guess Dirk sent Noishe to find me," Lloyd said as he rubbed his head. "We better hurry home." Lloyd then climbed on top of Noishe.

"You can ride him?" Colette asked in awe.

"Yeah, as long as there're no monsters nearby," Lloyd said as he patted Noishe's head kind of harshly. "Noishe is a big coward if there're any monsters nearby. Although he doesn't mind going near the Ranch."

Noishe barked.

Colette looked over the giant dog. "How do I get on?"

Lloyd reached down his hand and pulled Colette up. Once they were secure, they were off. Noishe was faster than anything Colette had ever ridden before, which caused her to hold on to dear life to Lloyd. He smirked at the contact, but said nothing.

From there, it only took a few minutes to reach Dirk's house. Noishe stopped a before reaching the little wooden bridge to the house and allowed Lloyd to climb down.

"I'm home, mom!" Lloyd called. He then turned around and helped Colette get off Noishe.

Dirk was walking towards them by the time Colette's feet touched the grab. "Where were you, lad? I heard you were chased out of the village."

Lloyd lowered his head. "I...I left after the mayor wanted to take my sword."

Dirk shook his head. "How foolish. You should have just let that young fool have it."

"But Dirk, it's my sword," Lloyd said as he grabbed onto his sword's handle fiercely.

"Running out of the village and into the forest by yourself was dangerous," Dirk said firmly. "What if some beast got ya or worse, the Desians."

Lloyd huffed. "No Desian is going to take me alive."

Dirk sighed as he finally noticed Colette. "Chosen...what in Origin's name are you doing here!"

Colette began to look down at her own feet as she rung her hands together. "I wanted to say sorry to Lloyd for the way the village treated him."

Dirk shook his head. "Lass, does your grandmother know you're here?"

"No, I came by myself," Colette said with a hint of shame. "But, Lloyd protected me in the forest. He even beat up a gang of doggies."

Dirk looked towards Lloyd. "Doggies?"

"Timber wolves," Lloyd stated. "It's no big deal, though. I was just nearby when she ran into trouble."

"Well, the most important thing is that you're safe," Dirk said. "Although the village is going to have a fit once they find out that you're missing."

"I could walk back myself," Colette offered. "I don't want to get you and Lloyd in trouble."

Dirk shook his head. "No, it would be safer if I went back to the village myself and got someone to pick you up. I could take you back myself, but the villagers tend to be unreasonable when scare."

Truthfully, he was scared that the villagers might try to kill him on sight if he was caught with the Chosen. Knowing those fools, they would think he kidnapped her.

Lloyd looked at Colette. "I guess you're going to be here longer than I thought."

"I don't mind," Colette said cheerfully. "This gives us a chance to know each other better."

"Lloyd, keep an eye on Colette and don't leave this area," Dirk said firmly. "I should be back within two hours."

Lloyd nodded. "Yes, Dirk."

Dirk walked back to his house to get his hammer before he left. Colette decided to take a tour of the yard when she came across a grave to the side of the house.

"Who's this?" Colette asked.

Lloyd walked up beside her. "That's my mom."

"Your mom," Colette whispered. "So the person you were yelling at was..."

"I got into that habit a long time ago," Lloyd admitted. "Every time I come here, I feel compelled to tell my mom that I'm home. Even if this isn't my real home."

"Why isn't this your real home?" Colette asked.

"My home is where ever my real dad is," Lloyd answered. "I'm just here until he finds me."

Colette bit her lip. "But haven't you been here since you were little? What happened to your father?"

Lloyd flinched when he heard that question. "I...I don't know. Dirk told me that he never found his body, so he must be alive somewhere. He just wouldn't have abandoned my mother and me."

"What do you remember of him?" Colette asked further.

Lloyd lowered his head in thought. "I don't really remember. I remember him being tall and lifting me up on his shoulders to look at the stars. But I can never recall what he looked like."

"I'm sorry," Colette whispered. "I lost my mommy too when I was born. I was raised by my grandmother and my human father, Frank."

"Human father?" Lloyd asked.

"For as I could remember, I was always told that my real father was an angel and he was the one who got my mommy pregnant," Colette said. "So, Frank and even my grandmother are not my real family and they're just my caregivers until I become an angel."

Lloyd paused for a second. "Well...that sucks."

"It's all from being the Chosen," Colette said. "Even so, I still see Frank as my father. Regardless of if we're actually related or not."

"But you really don't know. I know Dirk is not my father," Lloyd said. "So it's not completely the same thing."

"Well, I feel that we're all brothers and sisters under Martel, so we're all family regardless of blood," Colette said. "She's everyone's mother."

Lloyd snorted. "If she's everyone's mother, why did she take my mom away from me? Why hasn't she brought my dad here to find me?"

Colette put her hands together like she was going to say a prayer. "We can't understand Martel's plan for the world. But I know she doesn't give us anything we can't handle. Maybe Martel needed her for a special purpose that is outside our world."

"That all just sounds like a bunch of excuses," Lloyd griped.

"Well, maybe I'll learn the truth once I become a full angel," Colette said in a cheery voice.

"Are you always this bright and sunny?" Lloyd muttered. No one could be this happy all the time.

"I just don't see the point in feeling unhappy," Colette said. "I mean, does sitting around feeling sad make you feel better about what has already happened?"

Lloyd was taken off-guard by the question. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she did have a point. Did he actually feel better from always moping about what was taken from him? He knew what the honest answer was, but the truth was still hard to shallow.

"Lets go inside," Lloyd said, changing the subject. "I can fix you a snack or something."

Colette smiled. "I would like that."

They walked into the house and Lloyd began to look through the cabinets. "What would you like?"

"Umm," Colette patted her cheek in thought. "What about an apple salad."

"An apple salad?" Lloyd repeated.

"Yeah, that's my favorite dish," Colette said.

Lloyd frowned as he looked through the cabinets. Dirk and he didn't eat too many fresh fruits. They were fairly expensive to buy and it was hard to find ripe ones in the forest before the animals got to them. However, after much searching, he did find some sour apples.

"How about apple slices?" Lloyd asked. He really didn't want to make an entire salad.

"Okay," Colette said cheerfully.

Within a few minutes, the apples were cut up and ready to serve. He sat a plate down for Colette, who happily ate it.

"So, this is the house Dirk built," Colette said as she looked around. "You're even lucky enough to have a second-story."

Lloyd smiled. "That's my room. I have the entire upper floor to myself."

"That has to be nice," Colette said as she ate her apples. There was a long pause before she found the courage to ask her next question. "Lloyd, what's Dirk's faith?"

"What?" Lloyd asked, not expecting the question.

"What're Dirk's beliefs?" Colette asked again. "All I've heard is that dwarves don't believe in Martel."

"He doesn't," Lloyd said, more harshly then the meant to. "He believes in Origin, King of the Summon Spirits."

Colette tilted her head. "Who's Origin?"

Lloyd gasped in surprise. "You...you never heard of Origin?"

Colette shook her head. "I do know the nine summon spirits; Aska, Luna, Shadow, Sylph, Volt, Undine, Gnome, Efreet, and Celsius."

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, but you've forgotten Maxwell, Ruler of the Elements."

"Wow, there're more summon spirits then I thought." Colette said in awe.

"How can you know the other summon spirits without knowing the big two, especially Origin?" Lloyd asked in disbelief.

"Well, the nine summon spirits are important because they're servants of Martel," Colette said.

Lloyd shook his head. "No, all the summon spirits are followers of Origin. He ruled over them along with Maxwell. In the dwarven world, they believe that all the summon spirits are all parts of Origin."

"That's not what I was taught," Colette noted.

"Ever considered you were taught wrong?" Lloyd asked almost smugly.

Colette didn't catch the conceited tone. "No, what about you?"

It was simple comeback and she said it with no malice or mockery, unlike Lloyd. He found himself unable to answer since he never considered he could be wrong. For some reason, he always felt he right about the spirits. Especially with all the dwarven books he looked at along with his study of the stars.

Colette tapped her hands together. "Where did you get all your information from?"

"From Dirk and looking at star charts," Lloyd answered.

"What do stars have to do with the spirits?" Colette asked.

Lloyd nearly fell off his chair. "You mean you never studied the constellations!"

Colette shook her head. "Should I have?"

It took Lloyd several moments to find his tongue again. "Well, the constellations is the star you're born under," he paused for a moment. "Like, what month and date you were born on?"

"The sixth month on the twenty-fifth," Colette answered.

"Oh, so you were born under the star of Luna," Lloyd said.

"Is that a good thing?" Colette asked.

Lloyd nodded. "Luna is the light of the moon and is also called the light of hope. You shrine through even on the darkest of nights until the sun finally arrives." He thought about his own words for a moment. "Strange, that really does sound like your role in life."

"So, the constellations tell us what we will become?" Colette asked in confusing.

"It is something like that," Lloyd said. "But, I haven't read everything about it and some of the stuff is really confusing."

"What star was Dirk born under?" Colette questioned.

"He was born under the star of Gnome," Lloyd answered. "He's really sturdy and strong willed in both body and mind. They also tend to be more realistic than most and stubborn."

Colette giggled. "That sounds like Dirk."

"Yeah, but he doesn't believe in the stars either," Lloyd sighed.

"It sounds like you don't believe in Dirk's religion either," Colette said.

"It's not that I don't believe in it, but there's stuff in his beliefs that I don't agree with," Lloyd said. "Like when we die, we rejoin Origin and become a part of him again. Which caused us to lose our mortal memories. I don't want to believe that my mom has forgotten about me in death and I will forget her."

Colette nodded. She wouldn't want that either, but the Dwarven's faith seemed to echo her own future. "So, you don't really believe in anything."

"What does it matter?" Lloyd almost growled. "Why do people care so much about who I do and don't worship?"

"People just want you to be happy, Lloyd," Colette answered. "Through the Goddess Martel, this world will be regenerated one day. But maybe we shouldn't focus so much on what we don't have in common."

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked.

"Well, we have so many things in common," Colette explained. "We both lost someone dear to us, we both want a better world, we want happiness to everyone. Really, do we need to have anything else in common?"

Her statement once again took Lloyd back. He was so focused on what she was and what she represented, that he completely blinded himself to the things that made them the same. Such as them both hating the Desians and expressing a desire to stop them one day. The details maybe different, but he didn't agree with everything Dirk said or did either.

"You're not what I expected at all," Lloyd finally said.

Colette put her head down in shame. "I know. I don't act very Chosen like."

"No, I mean...you don't act like the people at the Church," Lloyd said slowly. "Every time I go there, they always try to force their ideas down my throat. Because of that, I always had this chip on my shoulder about them and you by extension."

Colette shook her head. "The Church is not supposed to force anyone to convert. We do that by teaching and leading by example for the world to follow. It would be pointless to force someone to accept Martel, otherwise their hearts wouldn't be really open to her and we would be cheated that person out of paradise."

Lloyd stared at her blank expression. "But you still believe that the only path towards happiness is through Martel."

"Of course," Colette said as if that was the only natural answer. "Once the world is regenerated, you will see Martel's glory for yourself and be inspired."

Lloyd doubted that, but it was still nice to know that the Chosen didn't look down on him. That the Chosen may see him as misguided, but not sinful or evil. Given the situation, he couldn't ask for anything more.

"You know, you're okay, Colette," Lloyd said. Colette stared at him wide-eyed, unnerving Lloyd for a moment. "What's wrong?"

Colette looked closed to tears. "This is the first time you ever called me Colette."

Lloyd quickly realized that was true. He had always addressed her as Chosen when he saw her. Maybe because this was the first time he truly felt comfortable around her.

"Colette, are you in there!" a voice yelled.

"Grandma!" Colette exclaimed as she ran outside.

Lloyd attempted to follow her out the door. He saw Dirk standing some distance away with Phaidra walking towards him at a fast pace.

Phaidra grabbed Colette and gave her a tight hug. "Colette, you scared the entire village."

"Sorry, grandma," Colette said. "But I was in good hands. Lloyd protected me."

Phaidra looked over at Lloyd, who didn't move from the doorway. "I owe you a great debt for caring for my granddaughter."

Lloyd blushed lightly. "It was nothing. I was partly responsible anyway."

"Well, thank you," Phaidra said. "Despite what the mayor and the others did to you, you're still welcome at my house. Just be more mindful of the weapon law."

Lloyd sighed. "Yes, Phaidra."

"Thank you too, Dirk." Phaidra said. "I hate to ask, but can you escort us back."

"No problem, Phaidra," Dirk said as he looked towards Lloyd. "Behave yourself, Lloyd. I'll be back soon." He then disappeared into the forest with Colette and Phaidra. Colette turned one last time to look at Lloyd and gave him a small smile.

Lloyd returned the gesture as they disappear into the forest.

* * *

><p><strong>If you're wondering what the smell of the Ranch is based on, it is based on the old slave ships of the Middle Passage. According to most accounts, slave ships were notorious for it stink. It was so bad that you could smell a slave ship coming long before you actually see it if you were down wind. Morbid, I know, but I wanted to share that information.<strong>

**Until next time.**


	8. Just Good Friends

**I am so sorry for having this chapter out so late. I was catching up on some school work and my beta had trouble sending me the document. I hope it was worth the wait. Thanks again for all the feedback and reviews so far. Also, thanks to zealousfreak27 for reading over this chapter for me.**

**Now, onward to the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 8: Just Good Friends<strong>

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><p>"Dirk, could you make me another sword?" Lloyd asked during dinner. It was a simple meal of fish and rice with some ham from Lloyd's hunt yesterday.<p>

Dirk looked up from his bowl in surprise. "Is there something wrong with your sword? It wasn't damaged in the village, wasn't it?"

Lloyd shook his head. "No, it's fine. I just thought it would be cool to have two swords."

"Two swords?" Dirk questioned.

"When I fought those wolves off the Cho... Colette, I used a nearby tree branch in my other hand to help me. It felt so natural, like this was the way I was always supposed to fight," Lloyd explained.

Dirk stroked his beard in thought. "Well, I do have enough left over material, so I could make another sword for you."

Lloyd beamed. "Please, Dirk."

"Okay, but you will have to take extra lessons for two months," Dirk said.

Lloyd cringed at the offer. Two months of extra work would totally suck, but he knew it was the only way to have his new blade. "Deal."

Dirk nodded before he paused in thought again. "But you still can't take them into the village. They won't budge on the law."

Lloyd deflated when he heard that. "But how I'm supposed to go to the village with no protection?"

"I could always take you there, but you still should have something to defend yourself. These are dangerous times," Dirk tapped his spoon against his bowl and didn't say a word for over ten minutes. He then snapped his fingers when an idea came to mind. "I could always make you a wooden pair."

"Wooden swords?" Lloyd asked.

Dirk nodded. "I could make you a pair of wooden swords to take with you when you want to go to town. The law just says you can't bring a deadly object."

Lloyd smiled, warming up to the idea. "That could work. Although I wonder how well wooden swords will hold up."

Dirk began to laugh. "Who do you think you're talking to, lad? Even if the swords are made of wood, I do fine work. They'll last you unless you do something crazy like setting them on fire."

Lloyd also laughed. "You're the best, Dirk."

"You won't be thanking me tomorrow when I put you to work," Dirk said as he picked up the dishes. "In fact, starting now you're washing the dishes."

Lloyd frowned. "Aw, man."

"A deal is a deal," Dirk said. "Or should I remind you of..."

"I'm going, I'm going," Lloyd said as he got up and took the dinners dishes away from Dirk. Yeah, these next two months were going to suck.

* * *

><p>Dirk was true to his word and kept Lloyd busy all day. He woke him up early to help him heat the furnace and prepare the copper and iron ores. Lloyd wasn't too upset about that since he got to watch Dirk mix metals to create steel and bronze. It was one of the first steps necessary for forging.<p>

He even watched Dirk meld together a metal that he had never seen before. It looked like bronze, but it was too light. It could have been mistaken for gold too, but lacked its shine and luster.

"Hey Dirk, what kind of metal is that?" Lloyd asked.

"Ay, you've never seen one before," Dirk noted as he lifted up the strange ore. "This is a special metal known as an inhibitor ore."

"An inhibitor ore?" Lloyd repeated.

"It is an old dwarven material that only we know how to process," Dirk explained. "It is a metal that controls and subdues certain energy."

Lloyd rubbed his head in confusion. "But why would you want to do that?"

Dirk paused for a moment before answering. "Lloyd, have you ever heard of an exsphere?"

"Exsphere?" Lloyd repeated, completely lost.

"No surprise. Most humans have never heard of it," Dirk said as he pulled away from his work. "Exspheres are special crystals that the dwarves learned to make a very long time ago. In time, however, certain people have stolen this technology. One of these people happens to be the Desians."

Lloyd's face twisted in disgust of that name. "Desians. Exspheres must be bad then."

Dirk shook his heads. "Exspheres are not bad by nature. Only the people who use them makes them good or bad."

"But, how does exspheres connect with this ore?" Lloyd asked.

"Exspheres grant special powers to those who manage to get one," Dirk explained. "It brings out a person's maximum strength."

Lloyd nodded in understanding. "So, it makes you stronger."

"Pretty much," Dirk said. "An exsphere only works when it's connected directly to a person's skin. However, putting an exsphere on can make you sick."

"But how can it make you stronger and sick all at the same time?" Lloyd questioned.

"That is where the inhibitor ore comes in," Dirk said with a slight smile. "An inhibitor ore controls an exsphere and keeps it from harming the user."

Lloyd rubbed his chin. "So, you make the ore into some kind of charm."

Dirk nodded. "The inhibitor ore is shaped into any item of choice and a special charm is carved into it to activate the metal. This item then becomes known as a key crest."

"This is complicated," Lloyd mourned.

Dirk chuckled. "You'll get it in time."

"Why are you making one anyway?" Lloyd asked.

"It's for an old client," Dirk said. "He ran into some trouble and got his key crest damaged. It's not too bad, but it's better to side with caution on such things."

Lloyd began to smile. "Can I help?"

Dirk shook his head. "Making a key crest is hard work that leaves little room for error. I could teach you to make the charm for one, but that will be part of your charm study. For now, go to the well and get some water for the furnace."

Lloyd frowned. "You never let me do the fun stuff."

"Off with ya." Dirk said as he scooted Lloyd along.

The days flew by and Lloyd was exhausted by the end of the week. Dirk had crammed more lessons in this one week than an entire month of their usual schedule. There was just so much to learn that he wondered how Dirk could take it all in.

There was once a time he believed Dirk to be the greatest crafter in the world, but Dirk told him that he does specialize in certain crafts, so there were many things he didn't know. He said that he was a wood builder/carver with an emphases in forging and iron weaving.

Dirk often told him that one-day he would have to choose a field of study in craft to focus on since it was impossible to learn everything. Right now, Dirk was just giving him the basics so he could have an idea of what was expected of him.

Lloyd already knew, however, that he wanted to focus on weapon and armor forging, with maybe an emphasizes in wood carving like Dirk. He knew Dirk was not a weapon or armor expect, therefore he was unqualified to teach him the finer points. Dirk said that if he really wanted to go into that side of crafting, he maybe had to go to the kingdom of the dwarves.

Dirk often maintained that human's steel and craftsmanship were inferior to the best the dwarves had to offer, so Lloyd would not get the same level of training if he went to a human blacksmith. He had to admit, he would love to see the dwarves kingdom, especially since it was extremely rare for humans to lay eyes on it. However, he would like to find his father before he went.

"Lloyd," Dirk's muffled voice came through the door.

"Come in," Lloyd said as he continued on his pet projects.

"I have something for ya," Dirk said with a huge smile on his face.

Lloyd turned around to see Dirk holding two wooden swords. They were shaped exactly like real steel blades. "Wow, that's so cool!" he exclaimed as he tried out his new swords. They weren't as cool as his steel one, but they were much lighter and greatly speeded up his normal attacks.

"That wood is strong, but don't overdo it," Dirk warned. "Also, it will take more hits to disable the wild beasts in the forest."

"I know, Dirk." Lloyd smiled. "I'll be extra careful going to Iselia tomorrow."

Dirk raised an eyebrow. "You're going to Iselia?"

"I want to visit Colette," Lloyd said. "If she isn't in too much trouble for sneaking off."

"I suppose that would be okay," Dirk said after some thought. "Just don't run off again and take Noishe with you."

Lloyd nodded. "No problem."

"Remember also to be home before dinner," Dirk said. "You still have to fulfill your end of the bargain if you want that other sword."

Lloyd gave a short sigh. "Yes, Dirk."

The night was thankfully dreamless and he woke up refreshed in the morning. Lloyd was not able to have meat since he didn't have time to go out hunting and that pig was eaten long ago. It kind of sucked and he had to remember to go hunting before he returned home later. He was not sure how Dirk could live without eating meat.

"I'm off," Lloyd said as he finished breakfast.

Dirk nodded. "See you later, lad."

Lloyd ran out the door and whistled for Noishe. He immediately ran towards Lloyd's side and licked his hand. "We're going to see Colette today."

Noishe whined excited as Lloyd climbed on his back. Hopefully, there were no monsters nearby or this would be a very short trip.

They were off and Lloyd held on tight to his best friend. The day was already fairly warm, so the cool breeze was welcomed.

With Noishe, it didn't take long before they reached the outside of the village. As always, the guards blocked their path. Really, didn't they have anything else to do?

"That thing is not allowed," a guard said.

"It's a dog," Lloyd almost growled. "Why's that so freaking hard to understand?"

"Don't give us any lip, boy!" the other guard exclaimed. "It's your fault that the Chosen put herself in such danger the other week."

"My fault?" Lloyd whispered. He so wanted to hammer this guard upside his head.

"You're not allowed in here if you still insist on carrying that sword," the first guard said. "It's the law."

Lloyd jumped down from Noishe and showed them his wooden swords. "Here is my sword, you skit."

The guard didn't caught the insult and instead examine his swords. "Now you have two of them?"

The other guard shook his head. "But they're wooden blades. We only prohibit steel swords."

The first guard grumbled under his breath. "Fine, but you better stay out of trouble or else I'll throw you out myself."

Lloyd really had to bite his tongue as he walked through the gate. He had a couple choice words he wanted to say, but thought it was wise to keep his mouth shut. Although they obviously didn't know dwarven, it would make him looked more like an outcast if he started to rattle out curses in another tongue. He also didn't want to give them any excuse to chase him out of town again.

As he moved through town, several people gave him dirty or disapproving looks. It seemed he didn't make many friends from his last visit. Being labeled both a heathen and a troublemaker was not a good combination. He actually wondered if Colette's influence was the only thing that kept him from being permanently ban.

Colette's house didn't come soon enough and he wasted no time knocking on the door. After a couple of seconds, Frank opened the door.

"Lloyd! We weren't expecting you back so soon," Frank said, more than a little surprised to see the boy.

Lloyd lowered his head. "I...I wanted to see Colette if I can. I mean...if you're mad about the other week."

Frank shook his head. "Nonsense, come right in." He pushed Lloyd through the door and had him sit on the sofa. "Colette is currently at the temple with her grandmother, but she should be back soon."

"Today isn't the day of rest," Lloyd noted.

Frank chuckled. "The Chosen goes to the temple everyday to train and prepare herself for the Journey of Regeneration. Once she leaves this village, she will be out of our protection and the priests can only do so much."

Lloyd paused in thought. "So, she trains to protect herself from the Desians, right?"

"Well, that's part of it," Frank said. "Another part of the training is so she can pass the trial of the angels and break the seals on the Tower of Salvation."

"Why is the Tower of Salvation sealed anyway once it appears?" Lloyd asked. "Why make the Chosen go through all these trials and put the world at further risk?"

"It is to see if the Chosen is strong enough to be an angel," Frank explained. "Martel cannot have a weak Chosen save the world and fight the Desians. Which is why the Chosen must prove their strength, loyalty, and faith towards the Goddess."

"Sounds long winded," Lloyd said in a bored tone.

Frank smiled. "You would understand better if you went to school. You've been old enough to go for three years."

"I have no need for school," Lloyd said. "I learn everything I need to know from Dirk."

"Dirk only knows so much," Frank stated. "Besides, he mostly knows about Dwarven's history and traditions. Wouldn't you want to learn more about your own history?"

Lloyd pressed his lips together. "I guess, but I never really cared."

Frank frowned. "If anything else, it would give you a chance to socialize with people your own age."

"_And kind,_" Frank silently thought to himself. Dirk was a good man, but humans should teach human history. Lloyd also could not live his entire life in the woods. He was already socially awkward just by the way he interacted with the other kids and adults. Being a nonbeliever wasn't helping him either.

"I'll think about it," Lloyd muttered after a few minutes.

Frank sighed. He might be forced to confront Dirk directly about this.

It was nearly an hour later before Colette came crashing through the doors. "I'm home, daddy!"

Frank went over and kissed Colette on the cheek. "How was training?"

"Good," Colette said before she began to frown. "But I put a hole through the temple wall again."

"_Again!_" Lloyd thought as he stared at Colette. How strong was this girl to put a hole through solid rock or was this temple made out of paper?

Frank laughed. "Don't worry. I'm certain that Dirk can fix it. Just be more careful for now on."

Colette nodded. "I will."

"Speaking of which, you have a friend here to visit you," Frank said.

Colette's eyes lit up. "Who?" Frank looked towards the sofa and Colette's smile became even brighter. "Lloyd!"

She jumped down from her father's grip and ran towards him. Lloyd got up, but was taken off-guard when Colette tackled him to the ground. Lloyd laid on the floor in shock. How could such a small girl be so heavy?

"Lloyd, I'm sorry!" Colette exclaimed as she got off of him and pulled him to his feet. "I just got over excited. You're the first person my age that has ever come to visit me."

Lloyd dusted himself off. "It's no big...the first person?" He cut himself off. "What about all those other kids you were playing with the other day?"

Colette frowned. "We only play with each other when we see it each others. We're not friends, friends."

"Oh, I see," Lloyd said sadly. He was not sure what to say since he didn't really have any friends either, except for Dirk and Noishe. But Dirk was more of a teacher and Noishe couldn't talk to him like a normal person.

"Why did you come over?" Colette suddenly asked.

Lloyd began to rub his hair. "Well, I thought we could hang out. You know, the right way since I messed up."

Colette looked towards Frank. "Can we, daddy?"

Frank smiled. "Sure. Just stay out of trouble."

Colette nodded excitedly. "We will."

Lloyd also smiled. "Thanks, Frank."

They then walked outside together and began to wonder around the village.

It took Lloyd a few minutes to find his voice. "So, what do you do around here for fun?"

Colette thought about for a moment. "Normal stuff like play tag, hide and seek, desert bandits..."

"Huh, what are desert bandits?" Lloyd asked.

"Oh, that's when one child plays a bandit that steals gold and hides it somewhere," Colette explained. "It's the other kids' job to find it."

"Like a treasure hunt," Lloyd said.

"Well, something liked that," Colette said. "The bandit can put false clues or mislead the other kids. But the other kids can also trap the bandit and force them to tell them where they hid the treasure."

Lloyd began to smile. "Sounds like a fun game."

"Let's play that," Colette said as she looked around and saw the other kids playing in the distance.

"Hey, do anyone wants to play desert bandit!" Colette yelled.

The other kids stopped in mid play as they looked at them.

"Sure!" one yelled.

"But that kid is with her," another one whispered. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"The Chosen is with him, so he must be cool," the girl said as she ran over to join Colette. The other followed shortly behind her and they began the game.

After drawing sticks, Colette won to be the bandit. Since they needed a treasure to bury, one of Lloyd's wooden swords were chosen. He was not happy about it, especially since he just gotten them, but he went along with it. He trusted Colette and knew she would do no harm to them. Plus, he didn't want to ruin the game given his already low standing.

They then went into their waiting spot and gave Colette ten minutes to hide the treasure. When time was up, the hunt was on. Instead of dividing into teams, it was a free for all. The first one to find the sword was the winner and Lloyd had no intention of losing.

He stalked around the village, looking for a spot where Colette would most likely hide something. He was at a severe disadvantage compared to the other kids since he didn't know the village that well and he hadn't known Colette long enough to guess where her usual hiding spots were. The only thing he could figure was that Colette would hide his sword in a place where flowers grew. She just seemed to have a flowery personality.

Lloyd's big break came when he saw Colette hiding behind a tree, giggling as she watched the other kids stumble around town. He knew this was his chance since the rules stated that he could get the 'bandit' to talk. With a huge grin, he stalked around the tree and posed to attack, much like he did the prey he hunted in the forest.

She was completely unaware as he pounced behind her. He got the surprise of his life, however, when Colette suddenly ducked down. Unable to stop, he slammed face first into the tree. He was not sure how long he was out, but he felt someone franticly shaking him.

"Lloyd, Lloyd!" someone shouted. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Please, wake up!"

Lloyd moaned as he grabbed his face. He could tell that his nose and lips were swollen.

"Are you alright?" Colette asked in a near panic.

"Oh, I'm fine," Lloyd said. He actually wasn't sure, but something told him he didn't want to look into a mirror at that moment.

Colette frowned. "I'll make it better." She leaned down and gave a kiss to different spots on his face. She kissed his eye, his nose, the left side of his cheek, and eventually his lips. They were all short, but Lloyd felt himself blushing slightly.

Colette then pulled back and smile. "All better. My grandma does that all the time when I hurt myself."

He did feel better, but it was more because of the gesture than it healing the actually pain he was in.

"What, Colette is kissing that boy!" one of the kids yelled.

One of them began to giggle. "Looks like Colette found herself a boyfriend."

Colette looked up. "Boyfriend, of course he's my boyfriend."

Lloyd slowly began to sit up. "You consider me one of your friends?"

Colette smiled. "Of course, which is why you're my boyfriend."

Lloyd blushed. "Thank...thank you."

The kids looked at each other in confusing. "Uhmmm, you do know what boyfriend means, Colette?"

"Yes," Colette chirped. "He's a boy and he's my friend. Which makes him my boyfriend."

Lloyd nodded. "Is there really anymore to it?"

The other kids sighed in defeat. "Yeah, we get it. You're just good friends."

"Hard to believe they're both that clueless," one of them whispered.

Something told Lloyd that he was missing something. But he decided it was not that important.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you've enjoyed the cute little scene with Lloyd and Colette. These two are just too cute at times.<strong>

**Anyway, until next time.**


	9. A Mother's Gift

**Sorry for being over a day late. My beta ran late because of personal problems. Nonetheless, thanks again to zealousfreak27 for checking my chapter and fixing my stupid grammar mistakes. Anyway, thanks you all for the reviews, hits, and favorites.**

**Now, to the story.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: A Mother's Gift<strong>

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><p>The months flew by steadily as Lloyd and Colette grew closer as friends. Whenever Lloyd could find any free time, he would head off to Iselia to visit her. Together, they would play all sorts of games with the other children, including the infamous desert bandit. Although Lloyd was must more careful whenever Colette was the bandit.<p>

If it was one thing he has learned, it was that Colette had some type of divine protection. He didn't believe Martel protected her, but some entity was looking out for her. Every time he almost had her in any game, such a tag or desert bandit, she would have a klutz attack and escape. The problem was that all of her klutz attacks did some kind of physical damage towards him or property was damaged and he ended up paying for it.

The other kids just laughed and called these episodes divine klutziness. While being clumsy would normally be a bad thing to anyone else, it was a gift given by the goddess for Colette. Lloyd thought this was a joke pulled by the other children at first and that lucky duck she pulled in their first game of desert bandits was just a fluke. After several more incidences of a similar nature he, like the other kids, concluded that it was divine protection.

"Hey Colette, why don't you spend a day at my house?" Lloyd suddenly asked. He was lying on his stomach playing a board game with Colette at her house.

He would have liked to play outside, but it was currently too hot. For the past week, Iselia had been suffering its worst summer heat of the year. Going outside during the mid day was asking for a severe case of heat stroke before an hour even passed.

Colette frowned as she moved her game piece. "I'd love to, but I can't. I'm not allowed to leave the village."

Lloyd sighed. "So, you're stuck here until the day you go on your journey? That sucks."

Colette shook her head. "My grandma said I could walk outside the village when I turn ten. Although I still won't be able to go far."

Lloyd tapped his fingers across the board as he moved his own piece. "How about...I'll tell your grandma I'll protect you. I walk through the forest every time I come here."

Colette began to smile. "That's a wonderful idea, Lloyd!" She moved her final piece. "I win again!"

Lloyd looked over the board in shock. That was the fifth game in a row he had lost to Colette. You wouldn't think a person like her would be so good at checkers. "Gud fördöma det!"

Colette frowned. "That's not very nice, Lloyd."

"Sorry," Lloyd said with a slight blush. He had forgotten that Colette knew a little dwarven.

The door picked a good time to open and Frank walked in. "How you two doing?"

"Fine," Colette said, getting her cheerful demeanor back.

Lloyd stood up. "Aw Frank, could Colette go to my house for a day? I'll take good care of her and escort her through the forest."

Frank stared at Lloyd for a moment. "You know we can't allow Colette to leave the village. Especially with a Ranch so close by."

"But this town has a non-aggression treaty," Lloyd argued back. "Besides, I'm strong! I can take care of Colette. So can Dirk."

Frank put his hand over his chin in thought. "That's true about the non-aggression treaty, but I'll have to talk it over with the mayor."

"Damn, that dum oförnuftige." Lloyd muttered.

Colette shook her head. "Please don't call the mayor such names."

Lloyd shrugged. "Dirk calls him that all the time."

Frank sighed. "But he doesn't say it in dwarven to hide the insult."

Lloyd coughed slightly to hide his discomfort. "Well, if you have to talk to the mayor, I want to come too."

"Why?" Frank asked.

"Because if he says no, I can tell him all the reasons why he's wrong to his face," Lloyd answered.

Frank flinched at Lloyd's reasoning.

"I want to come too," Colette said. "Maybe I could convince him."

"Alright then, but it's too hot to do that now," Frank said. "It will be another two hours before it's cool enough outside to do anything."

Colette looked Lloyd. "Do you want to play another game of checkers?"

"No thanks, one ass beating is enough for one day." Lloyd said.

Frank shook his head. "Really, what a foul month. Is Dirk really this lenient when it comes to you cussing?"

Lloyd titled his head. "What do you mean?"

"Your cussing," Frank repeated.

Lloyd frowned. "Dirk talks like this all the time."

"You mean Dirk swears in front of you?" Frank asked in disbelief.

"Well, it's mostly in dwarven, but it's not too hard to make the translation," Lloyd answered.

Frank had to keep himself from sighing. Dwarves not only thought underage drinking was alright, but saying foul language in front of children was also permissible. Maybe it was just Dirk's values. It was not his place to question another parent, but this would have to be address before Lloyd mouthed off to the wrong person.

"Just don't say such words in this house," Frank said before he left the room.

It was around three when they finally made their way towards the mayor's house. Since the Chosen and her family were always the top priority of the village, they didn't need to make an appointment. Instead, the mayor bowed humbly before Colette as she walked into the house.

"Chosen, how might I help you today?" the mayor asked.

A part of Lloyd was jealous that he never showed that level of respect towards him. Even as the rest of the village warmed up to him, the mayor still treated him like an outcast.

"We wanted to asked permission for Colette to leave the village for a day." Frank asked as he grabbed Colette's shoulders. "She wants to visit Lloyd at his house."

The mayor glared at Lloyd before answering. "Stay with this boy? You have to be kidding."

"Lloyd's my friend and he always comes to see me," Colette said. "I at least owe it to him to be a guest with his family. Besides, Lloyd is strong and would protect me from the monsters in the forest. Just like he did when I snuck off to find him."

"I'm sorry, Chosen, but that's just is not possible," the mayor said. "You're still too young to leave the protection of this village to visit some boy. Especially one who doesn't even believe in Martel."

"What does me believing in Martel have to do with anything?" Lloyd snapped. Frank gave him a disapproving look.

The mayor looked at him with contempt. "This heathen doesn't believe what you stand for, Chosen. He thinks the Martel, the Church, and you are some kind of mockery. What would he care if you're killed by the Desians or some monster?"

Lloyd felt his face turn red. "You..."

"Lloyd maybe a nonbeliever, but he is still a good person." Frank interrupted. "He would never allow harm to fall on Colette."

The mayor chuckled. "Even if that was true, he is only a year older than the Chosen. He's too young himself to be walking through those woods by himself."

"Young or not, I'm still strong," Lloyd said, balling his fists. "I'm stronger than the guards you have guarding this village."

The mayor stared at him for a moment before he laughed. "You? What an arrogant thing to say. The guards here were all trained and sent by the Church of Martel in Palmacosta. They are some of the best in the world."

Lloyd began to smile wolfishly. "Then let's make a deal. I challenge one of the best guards in the village to a one-on-on sword match with me. If I win, I can escort Colette to my house whenever she wants to go."

The mayor returned the smile. "And, what if I win?"

Lloyd thought about for a second. "Then, I will attend Church every day of rest."

"Lloyd, you shouldn't use Martel's name to make such a deal." Colette scolded.

"It's a deal," the mayor said, stunning Frank and Colette.

"Mayor, you can't be serious about taking Lloyd request," Frank said in disbelief.

"The boy gotta learn his lesson," the mayor stated. "Besides, maybe getting this heathen into church will finally open his eyes."

"So, we have a deal?" Lloyd asked. "No backing down."

The mayor nodded. "You should be asking yourself that."

"Dwarven Vow number forty, your word is your bond," Lloyd recited.

"Fine, we will hold this little contest in three days," The mayor said. "That should give you plenty of time to prepare or concede."

"Just make sure your guy shows up," Lloyd said as he walked out. Frank and Colette followed shortly behind him.

"Lloyd, you don't have to do this," Colette said. "I can wait until I'm old enough."

Lloyd shook his head. "Too late now since we made a deal. Besides, the mayor not only mocked my ability to protect you, he also questioned my morals."

"He shouldn't have done that," Frank said firmly. "But what good will fighting the guards make?"

Lloyd looked up at Frank. "Maybe nothing. But, I can't let him get away with making fun of me. I maybe don't believe in Martel, but I would never let harm fall on Colette."

"Of course we know that," Frank said.

"But this village doesn't and I want to prove them all wrong," Lloyd said. "I better go. I can't afford to lose." He then ran off towards the gate.

"Lloyd," Colette whispered as she watched Lloyd call Noishe and run off into the forest.

* * *

><p>"You did what?" Dirk questioned as he worked on one of his many projects.<p>

"I challenged the village's guards to a sword duel," Lloyd whispered as he looked at his feet.

Dirk shook his head. "Why would you do such a thing?"

Lloyd's eyes narrowed, not bothering to hide his anger. "He insulted me. He said that since I was a nonbeliever that I wouldn't care if Colette was killed."

That got Dirk's attention. "That windbag dared said that. It's best I wasn't there or else I would have driven my hammer up his..." He quickly caught himself. He knew how Lloyd liked to copy him and humans were more strict when it came to strong language. "Anyway, I can't blame ya for doing what you did."

"So, I wanted to know if I could spend these next three days preparing for the fight instead of my usual studies," Lloyd said.

Dirk nodded. "Since you're taking this so seriously, fine."

Lloyd smiled. "Thanks, Dirk." He then ran outside to practice.

"He has grown really grown fond of that lass," Dirk noted sadly. "What a shame it will end badly for the both of them."

The next several days flew quickly as Lloyd prepared himself for the big day. He spent most of it perfecting his Demon Fang as well as his thrusts. Although he was confident in his victory, he was still worried. It wasn't him losing the bet that had him worried the most. Going to church would suck, but it was something he could deal with.

His real fear was failing Colette. What if she did die while he was trying to protect her? He would never forgive himself if that happened. Which was why he must win tomorrow. Not only to prove to the villagers that he could protect Colette, but to himself as well. Months ago, Colette called him her guardian. Well, he was going to prove that title was not misplaced.

"Lloyd," Dirk said as he stood by the door. "It's getting late. You should get to bed."

"Just a little longer," Lloyd said as he worked on his sets.

"You need to be well rested or else you will make mistakes," Dirk said.

Lloyd knew he was right and stopped. "I just feel like there is more I should do. Like, I'm still not strong enough."

"You can only do your best," Dirk assured. "You trained a lot for this. Not just for today, but ever since you picked up a blade. I don't know much about sword craft, but you handle those two swords like they were built for you."

Lloyd looked up his two wooden blades. It took him some time to get used to them since they were so light compared to his steel ones. He was also still getting accustomed to using two swords. Although he found it easier than when he tried to learn just the one-sword style.

"I guess you're right," Lloyd muttered.

Dirk stood silent at the door for a moment. "Lloyd, come inside. It's time for you to sleep."

Lloyd put up his blades and walked upstairs. Dirk waited until he heard Lloyd's door close before he got up and walked out the front door. He walked until he was in his old cave. Deep in the back, near where his room once was, he had an old chest, which he began to dig his way through. Within minutes, he found what he was looking for.

Dirk held the orb in his hands, as he looked it. For a long time he was not sure what he should do with the exsphere. One part of him wanted to destroy it and ensure that the Desians never get their hands on it. At the same time, however, he felt doing such a thing would dishonor that life that was stolen to make it.

He thought about giving it to Lloyd, but he wasn't sure if Lloyd was ready to hold such responsibility. An exsphere was not something to take lightly, especially with the human factor added in. If he was going to give Lloyd this exsphere, should he tell him the entire truth? The truth about how exspheres were made, as well what he suspected happen to his mom.

He felt the smooth stone in his hand as its warmth entered him. He sighed in defeat as he made his way out of the cave.

Dirk walked slowly into his house when he heard a rustling sound coming from Lloyd's room. Without a second thought, he ran up the flight of stairs and opened Lloyd's door. He saw Lloyd on the floor, crying in his sleep. His night terrors were back.

He went to Lloyd's side and embraced him into a hug. He whispered smoothing sounds into his ear, much like what he did when he was a young boy. Lloyd began to calm down as he slowly began to open his eyes.

"Di...Dirk," Lloyd whispered in a hoarse voice.

"You're okay, lad," Dirk said. "I gotcha."

Lloyd's thoughts slowly cleared. "I...I can't remember what I was dreaming of. I just remember a monster and blood."

"Doesn't matter now," Dirk assured. Despite the fact that Lloyd was almost as tall as he was, Dirk was able to easily lift him like a baby and put him back into bed. He then got the covers off the floor and wrapped them around Lloyd. "Go back to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

Lloyd cuddled up. "Thanks, Dirk." He then allowed himself to eased back into sleep. Dirk didn't leave until he saw Lloyd's breathing even and his face relax. He left the room and quietly closed the door behind him. He stood by the door for a couple of minutes as he made his decision.

He would give Lloyd the exsphere. It was the only thing he had left of his mother and he needed her guidance now more than ever. However, he would not tell him the entire truth of an exsphere. The truth would destroy him at this point. Knowing Lloyd, he would attack the Ranch in a blind rage and attempt to lay waste to any Desians he saw. He didn't want that. He didn't want Lloyd to be consume by hatred as the Desians had.

"Anna, please help our boy," Dirk whispered as he went downstairs. He needed to rest himself.

Lloyd woke up and the night terror was all but forgotten. He ate a light breakfast, since he didn't need food weighing him down. "Well, I'm ready."

"Hold up, lad. There is something I want to give ya," Dirk said as he walked towards Lloyd.

"What is it?" Lloyd asked.

Dirk decided it would be best to beat around the bush and showed Lloyd the exsphere. Lloyd's month dropped opened as he looked at it.

"What is it?" Lloyd questioned.

"It's an exsphere." Dirk said.

Lloyd looked at him in surprise. "You mean one those crystals that gives special powers?"

Dirk nodded. "The same. I want you to have this one."

Lloyd stared at it for a second. "Wouldn't that be cheating?"

"Nonsense, an exsphere can only enhance your natural strength and abilities," Dirk said. "Which means if you're weak, an exsphere cannot make you much stronger."

"I...I...thank you." Lloyd finally managed to mumble.

"I'm not done yet." Dirk said as he brought out a metal piece. "Remember, you have to have a key crest in order to use an exsphere safely."

Lloyd looked at the piece. "Where do I put it?"

"An exsphere can go wherever you like." Dirk said.

"In that case, I want it here." Lloyd said as he put out his right hand. For some reason, he wanted it there. Like he had to prove something.

Dirk nodded. "This shouldn't hurt." He placed the key crest gently on Lloyd's hand and pressed down on it. He then placed the exsphere into an opening that was perfectly fitted for the orb onto the key crest.

Lloyd felt the crystal attached itself to his skin and a warm feeling covered his entire body. It felt familiar and different, all at the same time. It also stir some memories, but he couldn't quiet reach them. It was like at the very edge of his mind.

"You're alright, lad?" Dirk asked gently.

"Oh, sorry," Lloyd said as he shook his head. "I spaced out there for a moment."

Dirk reached for something on the table and handed it to Lloyd. "Put this around your exsphere."

Lloyd looked at the white cloth. "Why do I need to wrap my exsphere? I thought you say it was fair."

"And, it is," Dirk said. "But, we can't let certain people see it. Namely the Desians."

"Desians?" Lloyd repeated.

"Remember, exspheres are used by mostly Desians," Dirk explained. "If certain people see it, they may assume you're a Desian spy, despite being human."

Lloyd's eyes widened. He definitely didn't want that. He quickly wrapped the cloth around his hand, hiding the exsphere from view.

"In either case, we better get going," Dirk said.

"What, you're coming too?" Lloyd asked in surprise.

Dirk gave a small smile. "Of course. I wouldn't miss you beating up that soldier and showing up that windbag."

Lloyd returned the smile. "Let's go then."

They both stepped outside and began the walk to the village. Lloyd was too nervous to ride Noishe, so he chose to walk besides his friend. The trip was quiet, yet peaceful as the birds sang and the heat slowly rose. It was like that until they got near the town.

"Lloyd, may I ask, do you believe in Martel?" Dirk suddenly asked.

Lloyd looked at him in surprise. "Why you asked that question?"

"You just seem more protective of Colette," Dirk said. "Are you doing this just because she's a friend or do you believe she's the savior of our world?"

Lloyd remained silent for a few minutes before answering. "There're many things I thought I knew. Colette has shown me that we can disagree without it ending in a fight. I also see her as my first true friend." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I don't believe in the Church and I can't really say I believe in Martel. But...I do believe in Colette. If there is such a savior for our world, I would believe beyond a doubt that Colette was that person."

Dirk nodded and said nothing more. Soon, they reached the gate of the village.

"So, he arrived," one of the guards said.

"Dang, I've already lost money," the other guard muttered.

"Let me in," Lloyd said with confidence. "I have a match to win.

The first guard chuckled. "You won't be that cocky for long once Fred finishes with you. Dealing with monsters is nothing when sparring against a well equipped human."

"We'll see," Lloyd said as he walked in.

It looked like the entire village was gathered around the park in the middle of the town, waiting for the match to start. Lloyd and Dirk pushed their way through until they were near the middle.

The mayor saw them coming and smiled. "Well, you kept your word. Now we can finally start the match."

Lloyd looked up to see his opponent already in the ring. He was not that tall, but wore a thin layer of armor and had a long wooden sword in his hand. He wore a helmet that covered his hair, but not his face. His eyes were green and he had a hard face, showing his battle experiences.

"So, this is the boy I will be fighting," Fred said with a slight sigh. "Very well, come boy and show me your skills."

Lloyd stepped in and the crowd began to clap loudly. He looked around to find a familiar face in the crowd and smiled when he saw Colette watching him from Frank's shoulders. She was waving and cheering his name.

"The rules are simple," the mayor's voice brought him back to the moment. "This will be a best out of three strike match. The person who managed to hit two strikes to their opponent wins. Points are taking off for hitting below the belt or on the head."

"Understood," Fred said.

"Got it." Lloyd answered.

"Then, take your weapons out," the mayor ordered. Lloyd removed his double blades and Fred prepared his one sword. "Let the match, begins!" He yelled as he stepped out of the ring.

Both Lloyd and Fred posed as they circled one another. They met each other eye as they looked for an opening.

Lloyd finally got tired of waiting and decided to make the first move. "Demon Fang!" he yelled as a wave of mana head towards Fred. He dodged the attack and ran forward while Lloyd's guard was down.

With reflexes that he didn't even knew he had, Lloyd just barely managed to evade the sword swing. Now, Fred was the one wide opened. With one quick motion, he slammed his sword just below Fred's ribs, sending him rolling to the ground.

Everyone grasped in shock as Fred crawled his way back towards his feet.

"Match one to Lloyd," the mayor mumbled.

Lloyd looked at his hand in awe. He could feel the extra energy that the exsphere was given him. It even made his reflexes and attacks much more sharp. Without it, he could have never score that hit.

"Match two, begin!" the mayor yelled.

Lloyd quickly got back on guard as Fred swung at him. Lloyd managed to parry the attack and attempted to thrust his sword into his stomach. The attack was unsuccessful and he nearly got his arm hit. He backed away and attempted to sideswipe Fred.

Fred suddenly slid and hit Lloyd on his knee, causing him to cry in pain.

"March two to Fred," the mayor said, much happier.

The crowd also cheered and Colette frowned in worry.

Lloyd got himself together and concentrated. He couldn't afford to mess up this round.

"Final match, begin!" the mayor yelled eagerly.

Lloyd charged forward and attempted to knock Fred off his feet. Fred took to the air and spun around, ready to finish him from the air.

Lloyd could feel his exsphere pulse as a vision of Fred's movements came into his mind's eye. He jumped back and built energy into his attack. "Demon Fang!"

A wave of energy flowed out of him and directly into the path where Fred was about to land. It was too late to stop himself and he was caught up in the wave. He was pushed back until his head slammed in to the ground, where he remained.

Everyone was grasped in shock as they stared at the fallen soldier, everyone, except one.

"Lloyd, you did it!" Colette cheered as she ran from her father's grip and into the ring. She tackled him in a hug, which Lloyd really didn't mind.

Dirk also went in to join them, his face beaming with pride. "Well done, lad." He patted him on the back.

Lloyd smiled widely. "Thanks, dad."

Dirk's eyes widen in shock.

So did Lloyd when he realized what he said.

"Lloyd, what did you say?" Dirk asked in disbelief.

Before Lloyd could answer, the entire town seemed to descend upon him. They all began to congratulate on his victory and how strong he was.

Lloyd's mind, however, was no longer on his victory. Did he actually called Dirk dad? He couldn't have. Dirk was not his father. He was a caregiver until his real dad came for him. Why would he call Dirk his dad? He must have been caught up in the moment.

That was the excuse he kept telling himself, but a part of him didn't really care that his real dad wasn't here. He still had Dirk and that was more than enough.

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><p><strong>Lloyd finally used the F word. It has been a long time coming. We only have one more chapter left before the conclusion so I hoped you have enjoyed this chapter.<strong>

**Until next time.**


	10. Acceptance

**Sorry for being a day late, but I had some problems with . Nonetheless, the final chapter is finally here. Hope you enjoy. A special thanks to zealousfreak27 for reading this story, even though this is not her fandom. Also, thank you all for the favorites, reviews, and hits.**

**Now, to the conclusion.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Acceptance<strong>

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><p>Lloyd waited patiently as Colette got herself ready to leave. Despite the mayor having major grievances about the whole thing, a deal was a deal. He couldn't back paddle his way out of it, especially with a town full of witnesses.<p>

It also helped that his reputation within the village had skyrocketed since the duel. The people may not completely approve of him, but they didn't give him dirty looks anymore. They were actually warmer towards him and greeted him openly when he came into town, although he wondered if that had more to do with him being friends with Colette than anything else.

"Hey, Lloyd!" Colette yelled as she carried a backpack with her. Phaidra was holding her hand, keeping her from running off ahead of her.

Lloyd gave a warm smile. "Hey, Colette."

They reached the gate of the village where, for once, no guards stood. "Okay, Lloyd, I leave everything in your hands. Remember, don't pass by the Ranch. Even with the treaty, the Desians are not to be trusted," Phaidra warned.

Lloyd nodded. "I wasn't planning to."

It had more to do with the fact that the Ranch was at its worst during the hot months. The smell was enough to make a normal person faint and Noishe wouldn't go in that direction even if monsters filled the other path.

Phaidra looked towards Colette. "Remember to behave yourself and respect Dirk. I expect you back here tomorrow morning."

"Okay, grandma." Colette smiled.

Lloyd hopped on Noishe back. Colette walked over to join them and was pulled up by Lloyd. "Okay, Noishe, lets get going!"

Noishe gave a loud bark as he took off into the forest. The sun was bright which made the trip all the more enjoyable. Colette hugged Lloyd's back tightly as the movements of the giant dog eased her.

"This reminds me of the first time I came into the forest," Colette said.

Lloyd laughed. "You act like it was a long time ago, when it's really just a couple months."

"Time just went by so fast," Colette said. "I mean, just a week ago I could never have come here."

"Well, you can't stay protective forever," Lloyd said. "Chosen or not, you only live once and life is too short."

Lloyd suddenly felt Colette tense. It was subtle and not something he would have noticed a couple days ago. If it weren't for his exsphere, he would have completely missed.

"Is there something wrong?" Lloyd asked.

Colette shook her head and began to giggle. "It's nothing."

Lloyd frowned. That giggle didn't sound right. It didn't have her usual cherry tone and it sounded forced. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I'm sorry if I said something wrong," Lloyd said.

"I'm the one who needs to apologize," Colette said. "I'm ruining such a good day."

"Nah, this day can never be ruined," Lloyd chuckled.

Colette smiled and hugged Lloyd tighter.

Since the monsters appeared to be behaving themselves today, they made it to Dirk's house without any trouble.

Lloyd jumped off of Noishe and smiled. "Hey, mom, I'm home!"

He helped Colette down, who made her way towards the gravesite. She knelt down and gave a small pray. She actually spoke in a language that he couldn't understand.

"What are you saying, that isn't dwarven," Lloyd said as Colette finished her pray.

"It's the language of the angels," Colette said. "I was taught it as long as I can remember."

Lloyd rubbed his chin in thought. "It sounded like the common tongue, but not."

"The language of the angel is the basis of all languages in the world," Colette said. "It's what made the common tongue. Even dwarven is based off of angelic."

Lloyd's eyes widen. "Really, so that's how you can understand dwarven!"

"No, but I can understand some words and phases since some words are similar, especially the more ancient version of dwarven." She then began to blush. "But I don't know it like you do."

"Well, I have been living with Dirk for years, so it's only natural for me to learn his language," Lloyd said. "It was kind of awkward at first, but it's second nature to me now. I actually can speak dwarven better than common."

Colette stared at him in surprise. "Really, but you speak very good."

Lloyd chuckled. "Not really. I just used more simple words. I still have problems pronouncing big words. That's why I sometimes replace words with dwarven."

Colette suddenly brightened up and smiled. "Why don't you go to school with me this fall? You can learn all sorts of things."

"I don't know," Lloyd said as he looked at his mom's grave. "I've seen the school a couple of times when I was in town with Dirk and I never got into what they said. Just seems you guys spend a lot of time sitting around reciting verses and talking about people who died thousands of years ago."

Colette clapped her hands together. "But we do fun stuff too like arts and craft, science when you suck an egg through a bottle, and other stuff. You also get to know the other kids better."

"Well, I would have to give up my training with Dirk," Lloyd said. "It takes a lot of hours of dedicated training to become an expert craftsman. Not to mention my sword training." He gripped one of his two wooden blades.

Colette looked down at her feet. "I would really like it if you came."

"What?" Lloyd asked. She said it so low that he could barely hear her.

"Nothing." Colette blushed.

Lloyd looked at her for a long moment. "You're such a knäppis."

"Knäppis?" Colette repeated.

"It means someone who is cute, but dim," Lloyd said, curving the severity of his language.

"Oh." Colette giggled. "That reminds me when the school kids call me things like dork. I always thought it was an insult."

So that was the translation. "Well, maybe I should call you dork for now on," he teased.

Colette smiled. "Well, just think about it, okay," she encouraged. "I'll think you'll like coming to school."

"Let's go inside," Lloyd said, wanting to change the subject.

Colette nodded and followed Lloyd inside. Dirk was working on iron weaving when he saw them. "Welcome." He then got up and shook Colette's head. "I'm glad you could finally formally come to our house. It's not much, but it's home."

Colette smiled. "It's perfect. It's really homie and I can feel the love within these walls."

"You're too kind, lass," Dirk said. "Lloyd's room is upstairs. The sleeping bag is all ready."

"Thanks...Dirk," Lloyd said uncomfortably.

Their relationship was still odd since the day of the duel. They still did work together, Dirk even made him makeup those three days he lost preparing for the duel, but it was not the same kind of bond that they had before.

It all happened the moment he accidentally called Dirk dad. He still was not sure what came over him in that moment, but he couldn't say he regret saying it and it left him conflicted. He had a father. He was out there somewhere looking for him. Dirk, as nice as he was, wasn't his father. Nonetheless, he still didn't regret it.

Dirk for his part never mentioned the incident. He acted like it had never happened, which made Lloyd wonder if that slip of the tongue meant anything at all to him. He wasn't happy by the thought, since the term father meant so much to him. If what he said to Dirk that day meant anything, he wasn't letting on.

"Hey, snap out of it, lad," Dirk said, knocking Lloyd from his thought.

Lloyd shook his head. "Huh, what?"

Dirk sighed. "Take Colette upstairs and get her comfortable."

"Oh, yeah." Lloyd blushed as he helped Colette up the stairs.

Colette was in awe when she saw his room. It was filled with wooden models and had a large open doorway to the balcony, which let a nice breeze in. "Your room is so neat!"

"Thanks," Lloyd said with a slight smile.

She then walked over to one of the models. "Did you make all these?"

"Yeah, Dirk helped me with some, but I carved most of them on my own," Lloyd said.

Colette picked up one of the carvings. "Have you ever considered selling them?"

"Oh, no, no, no," Lloyd said as he grabbed one of his models. "They're no way near good enough, especially compared to Dirk's work."

Colette looked closer at his collection and saw a lot of models that looked like Noishe and others that looked like different versions of Dirk. They were also piles of books on craftsmanship, drawing, and dwarven history.

The book on dwarven was opened and Colette took a look at it. It was written in words she had never seen before, but one looked familiar.

"Dwarven löfte nummer sever, rättvisa och kärlek kommer alltid att vinna," Colette managed to read in a broken tone. She then looked up towards Lloyd. "What does this passage means?"

Lloyd sighed. "That is dwarven vow number seven, justice and love will always win." He rolled his eyes. "The cheesiest vow of them all."

Colette gave him a confused look. "What are dwarven vows?"

Lloyd's eyes widened in shock. "You don't know?"

Colette shook her head and lowered her eyes. "Sorry."

"Don't say sorry," Lloyd said, ashamed at his reaction. "I just thought everyone knew them." He paused as he thought of an explanation. "Well, the dwarven vows are a set of morals that we all try to live by. There are three-hundred and fifty vows and all."

"That many?" Colette said in surprise. "And you know them all?"

Lloyd nodded. "I was taught every last one of them in common tongue and then in dwarven."

"Amazing," Colette said in awe. "The dwarven vows sounds like the seven laws of Martel. Our seventh law is Goodness quod diligo mos usquequaque lucror."

"What does that mean?" Lloyd asked.

Colette smiled. "Goodness and love will always win."

Lloyd groaned. "Apparently the Church of Martel and the dwarves had the same cheesy script writer."

"It's true," Colette said cheerfully. "No matter how bad things get, goodness will always prevail."

Lloyd wasn't too fond of Colette's rose colored point of view. The fact that his mother was in a grave and his father had disappeared was proof of that. But he didn't want to destroy the mood. Whether he liked it or not, Colette did give him a sense of hope. A hope that one day things would be better. Then again, she was the Chosen.

Colette then proceeded to take some of his models down. "Let's play!"

Lloyd laughed as they played with his models until it was time to eat.

Dirk came upstairs to get them clean up before they ate and was a little surprise in what he saw. He saw Lloyd sitting in a chair sipping what he assumed to be tea, although the cup was empty. Colette was also pouring imaginary drinks.

"What are you kids doing?" Dirk finally asked once the shock had worn out.

"Playing tea party," Colette chirped.

"Want to try some, Dirk?" Lloyd asked happily. "Mines is lemon, no sugar."

Dirk pressed his lips together before answering. "Dinner is ready."

Lloyd's eyes lit up. "Yeah, thanks Dirk."

He turned around and went back downstairs. There were some things about humans he would never understand.

It took some time to put all of Lloyd's stuff back, but they eventually made it downstairs just as Dirk finished setting up the plates.

Lloyd grasp in surprise when he saw an entire bowl of beef stew sitting on the table. "Dirk..."

"Since this is your first overnight visitor, I thought I'd treat you," Dirk laughed. "I even got something for Colette." He put down a bowl of apple salad. "Both recipes came from Phaidra, so ya know it's good."

Colette clapped her hand excitedly. "Oh, thank you, Dirk!" She walked over to the table and took her place. Lloyd followed shortly behind her, his month was practically watering.

However, before he could stick his spoon into the bowl, Colette stopped him. "We have to say grace first."

"Grace?" Lloyd questioned.

"You don't know what grace is?" Colette asked in surprise.

Dirk looked towards Lloyd. "Den sång av välsignelse och tack."

Lloyd's eyes widen. "We don't say ours until after the meal."

"Since you're our guest, we let you say the pray," Dirk advised.

"But, you don't believe in Martel," Colette said sadly.

One thing Lloyd still didn't like about Colette was that look of pity she would give him over his lack of faith. Thankfully, it was a subject that didn't come up too often.

"Well, how about this," Dirk said. "You say your prayer and I will say mine at the end of the meal as usual. That way we worship both of our deities."

Colette gave a look that Lloyd couldn't identify before she smiled and nodded. "Okay," She put her hands together and bowed her head. "Carus uranicus matris, nos gratulor in is dies namque una per amicitia in is dies vos have beatus. Servo nos tutus ex vulnero quod incubo qui es in valde postulo of vestri misericordia. Vigilo qui operor non animadverto vestri palma quod plumbum lemma tergum obviam vox semita. Quod vestri nomen nos precor, valde uranicus matris of totus."

She then put her hands down.

"Good prayer," Dirk said in a tight voice.

Although his angelic was lacking, he knew what the last part of that prayer meant. He was not insulted, however. He knew in Colette's eyes she was trying to save them. In the Church of Martel's view there was nothing but Martel. Those who believed otherwise were savages who were destined for damnation.

This poor girl would know nothing else, especially the real truth. She would continue to live and die in that lie. However, that was the destiny of the Chosen.

"Can we eat now?" Lloyd's rude question brought Dirk back to the moment.

Colette's smile returned as she nodded.

Within seconds, Lloyd attacked his dish with vengeance. It had been a long time since he had beef. It was expensive to buy since there was no cows or bulls in the area and Lloyd couldn't hunt them.

"Take it easy, lad," Dirk advised. "You're make yourself sick eating that fast."

Lloyd slowed down and began to eat at a more human pace.

There were some chatting about event of the village, but it was mostly quiet. Lloyd was a person who always focused on food during dinner, unless it portended to craftsmanship or swords.

"Finished," Colette said politely as she pushed her plate besides.

"You know, you try to act so polite, but you eat like a horse." Lloyd chuckled.

Dirk shook his head disapprovingly. "Be nice, Lloyd."

"Isn't it time for your prayer, Dirk?" Colette suddenly asked.

Lloyd raised an eyebrow. It must have been his imagination, but it sounded like she was challenging Dirk.

Dirk put his right hand over his heart and bowed his head. "Origin, I ditt namn vi tack för vårt mjöl och dela denna stund mellan familj och vänner. Låt detta mjöl att fostra våra kroppar och själar och vänner. Låt detta mjöl att fostra våra kroppar och själar och kan du fortsätta att vägleda oss och skydda oss i din kram. I ditt namn, ge oss en fredlig natt."

He then put his hand down and looked towards Colette. They stared at each for a long moment before Dirk finally decided to speak. "It's late. You two should be getting ready for bed."

Colette nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry for being rude."

Dirk laughed. "No need. In this day and age, we need as many prayers as we can get."

Lloyd looked between the two in confusion. What just happened here?

Colette stood up. "Come on Lloyd. We have to get up early."

Lloyd nodded numbly and escorted Colette back upstairs. They changed into their nightwear and he allowed Colette to have the bed. He didn't mind sleeping on the floor. He was also worried that he might have nightmares with Colette around.

"I really had a fun day today," Colette said. "I hope I can visit again."

Lloyd smirked. "You can, since the mayor made that deal. Dirk won't mind since we hardly get anyone around here."

Colette suddenly had a serious look on her face. "Lloyd, why do you still keep calling Dirk by his first name?"

This caught him off-guard. "What?"

"When you won that duel I heard you call Dirk dad," Colette said. "But, you haven't called him that the entire time I've been here."

Lloyd looked out his window, unable to face her. "He...He's not my dad. He's my caregiver."

Colette frowned. "Caregiver, is that all Dirk is to you?"

"No!" Lloyd exclaimed before he knew what he was saying. "I mean...I don't know." He slumped over on his sleeping cot.

"Lloyd, what does a father mean to you?" Colette asked after a long silence.

Lloyd thought about it for a moment. "A dad is someone who cares and looks after their child. Tells them stories, look at stars, you know, fatherly stuff."

"Hasn't Dirk done all of those things?" Colette asked.

Lloyd closed his eyes as he thought about his years with Dirk. Since the day he had found him, Dirk had cared for him. Dirk built him a home and buried his mother when he just met him. He could have easily sent him away and not have been bothered, but he didn't.

He taught him dwarven, the vows, and his craft. Lloyd looked towards the wall where his two steel swords laid peacefully. Dirk had given him so much, but...

"I...I can't," Lloyd finally said. "What if my real father finds me one day? I mean...he could still be alive."

"There is saying in the Book of the Angels," Colette said. "Semita ut gaudium est instituo in illud inter vos."

Lloyd looked towards Colette. "What does that mean?"

"The path to happiness is found in those around you," Colette translated. She then gave him one of her best smiles. "Goodnight, Lloyd." She then turned over in his bed.

Lloyd stood wide mouth for a moment. The path to happiness is found in those around you? He frowned as he thought over those words. He felt like he was betraying his real dad by becoming fond of Dirk for all these years. The final betrayal would be to call him father. That was a sacred word to him. Not something to be given away.

Lloyd suddenly felt a burning sensation on his hand and he pulled his right hand up. Through the cloth, he could see his exsphere glowing brightly. It was like it was saying it was okay to accept Dirk. But, that was silly. It was just a crystal. What did it know? It shocked him again for good measure.

He growled in frustration as he laid on the floor for over an hour, lost in thought. He looked out the window and saw the stars shining brightly. He always loved the stars. For as long as he could remember he had looked at them for comfort. It was one constant thing in his life.

However, he could no longer remember why he loved the stars or who taught him about them. It was a near faded memory lost in the darkness of his own mind and he could no longer seem to reach it. All that was left was a worn memory of a cape and a shadow. He knew the man and felt he was closed to him at one point, but he couldn't be sure anymore.

What was his real father like? Maybe he didn't try to look for him or his mother. He could have left them all to die as far as he knew. How could his dad not find him after all this time? Didn't he care or even know?

The questions were proven to be unbearable, but there was one thing he did know. He was happy here. Yeah, it sucked at times, but it was still good. Things were better than ever in fact since he had a new friend and welcomed within the village. Would he truly be happier chasing a shadow of a past he could no longer remember?

"Vägen till lycka finns i din omgivning," Lloyd said slowly.

He stood up slowly, making sure not to wake Colette, and went downstairs. True to form, Dirk was still awake.

"Lloyd, why are you up?" Dirk asked.

Lloyd stayed silent for a moment. "Dirk, do...do you remember what I said after the duel? When I called you dad?"

Dirk put down his knife. "Ay, I do. I understand it was in the moment. Think nothing of it."

"That's the thing," Lloyd said. "I have been thinking of it since that day."

"Lloyd," Dirk said slowly, but realized that Lloyd wasn't done.

"I called you dad, but I don't regret it. Not even once," Lloyd continued. "In all honestly, it felt good calling someone dad after all this time."

Dirk looked straight into Lloyd's eyes. "What are you trying to say, lad?"

"I've...I have been chasing a vision of my dad for as long as I can remember," Lloyd whispered. "He has become more of a phantom than a real person. I doubt I would even know him if he came to Iselia toda." He began to laugh humorlessly. "I guess what I'm trying to say...can...can I call you dad?"

Dirk dropped his knife in shock.

"I want a father and you have been that and more," Lloyd said. "You raised me like I was your own, even though we're so different. I know in my heart now that even if my real dad does return someday, you would still be my dad too."

"Lloyd...I would be honored to call you my son," Dirk stated. Without warning, Lloyd ran into his arms. Dirk returned the gesture with a big hug.

"Da...dad," Lloyd muttered. Dirk continued to hug him as tears ran down his face. He could also feel his exsphere tingle like it was singing in joy.

In the stable, Noishe looked through the opened window and appeared to smile. Let out a small whine as if to say, "It's about time."

Dirk held Lloyd until he fell asleep. He then carefully made his way upstairs and tucked Lloyd into his sleeping bag. He thought it was sweet Lloyd gave up his bed for his friend. It showed he had good character and kindness. He would grow up to be a great man one day.

He looked up towards Lloyd's balcony and stared at the stars for a moment. He was certain a higher being had a hand in this moment. Whoever they were, he was forever grateful to them.

In his eyes, Lloyd was always his son. He has been for a long time. Since the day he held Lloyd by his mother's grave over five years ago, he became his kin. He just couldn't call Lloyd that until he was ready. He didn't want to take his birth father's place. He wanted that bond to stay forever in place. He just wanted to be part of it and share in that father's joy.

Dirk remembered how proud he was the other day and how his heart nearly stopped when Lloyd called him dad. At the same time, he was horrified when he saw the scared, confused look on Lloyd's face. He thought he had somehow hurt Lloyd and caused him to betray his birth father's memories. He may never be sure if it was right, but he held no regrets.

He walked outside the room and closed the door behind him. Dirk's thoughts then turned towards the sword he pulled out of that unfortunate woman's body. That was undoubtedly his birth father's blade, ruined by the acid blood of the Exbelua. He still had the sword, but could never decide its fate.

Even though the sword was forged with love and care, the innocent blood that it was forced to shred forever tainted it. It felt wrong to destroy it, but it didn't feel right either to repair it. Now, he knew what he wanted to do.

The steel of the blade was ruined beyond repair. He would have to reforge it. He would destroy it and fashion a new, but keep the original hilt. The new blade would have shades of the old one. To honor both the past and the future. This blade would have to be special. It was the only way to pay proper respects to it.

Weapon forgery was not his mastery, but he still had his old teacher's book. He was dwarf without equal when it came to the art of forging. He may not have half his skill in that area, but he would give it his all. And, when the time was right, he would give Lloyd this special blade. The one link, besides his exsphere, that he had left to his old family.

Dirk gave a small smile as his mind was made up. He put his hand on his heart and put his head down. "Anna, thank you for giving me a son. Your death was not in vain and I will fulfill my promise and more to you. I pray Lloyd does find his real father someday or at least find peace knowing that you two are safe in Origin's embrace."

He finished his pray as he went down stairs. Unconsciously, he gave one last prayer under his breath. "Må du vila i frid."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that concludes this story. This story was a pleasure to write since it gives Dirk some much deserved spotlight. Showing the bond that was created Lloyd and Dirk is one of the most overlooked things in this fandom, in my opinion. I hope that even if you do not care about Dirk, you enjoyed reading this story.<br>**

**My next Tale of project should be the novelization. Because of school, however, that will not be posted until a couple more weeks. So, just wait a little longer.**

**Anyway, until next time, stay safe.**


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